From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Kamala Harris denies NBC report that White House prevented her from criticizing Israel too harshly
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
US Vice President Kamala Harris intended to criticize Israel more harshly in her speech in Selma, Alabama on Sunday, but the White House watered down her remarks about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, NBC News reports.
US officials tell NBC that the original language was “strong but not controversial,” before the National Security Council edited the speech.
Harris’s spokeswoman calls the report “inaccurate.”
“The Vice President felt it was important to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, given recent developments, and to reiterate our Administration’s call on Hamas to accept the terms of the hostage deal,” she says.
Harris on Sunday called the situation in Gaza a “humanitarian catastrophe” and implied strongly that Israel was imposing unnecessary restrictions on aid and even targeting convoys.
She also called for a six-week ceasefire, putting the onus on Hamas to accept the terms Israel and the US hammered out with Qatar and Egypt.
Sources also tell NBC that Harris wants to be more critical of the war than US President Joe Biden.
The Times of Israel Community.