According to a senior Israeli official, Kamala Harris’ comments on Thursday regarding the Israel/Gaza war may have risked the chances of Israel reaching a hostage deal with Hamas.
In a press conference that followed Kamala Harris’ meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the vice president claimed that she pressed him to quickly wrap up the war in Gaza and reach a ceasefire deal.
“It is time for this war to end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self determination,” she said.
“And as I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done. Let’s get the deal done. So we can get a ceasefire to end the war. Let’s bring the hostages home. And let’s provide much needed relief to the Palestinian people.”
The Israeli official stated that Netanyahu was upset over Harris’ comments regarding a ceasefire and her criticisms of Israel’s “humanitarian crisis.” The official also said that there was a ‘misalignment’ in the messaging between the U.S. and Israel.
On the flip side, the same official claimed the meeting with Biden went well, helping move towards a hostage deal.
“Hopefully, the remarks Harris made in her press conference won’t be interpreted by Hamas as daylight between the U.S. and Israel, thereby making a deal harder to secure,” the source told the Times of Israel.
From the Times of Israel:
The senior Israeli official says the meeting with Biden was productive and helped move efforts to secure a hostage deal in a “positive direction.”
The official does not make a point of describing Netanyahu’s meeting with Harris in the same manner.
According to an Israeli official, Jerusalem had been uncomfortable with Harris’s tone throughout her remarks and thought they overly stressed the importance of ending the war in a manner that appeared to show the US and Israel not in lockstep.
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