Following the meeting, the US vice president made an on-camera statement, urging the Israeli prime minister to finalize a deal and end the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was upset by on-camera statements made by US Vice President Kamala Harris following their meeting on Thursday, the American news website Axios reported, citing an Israeli official.
According to Axios, Netanyahu thinks that the statements might negatively impact negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire deal.
Harris’ meeting with Netanyahu came at a pivotal time in the negotiations for a potential agreement and this was Harris’ first meeting with a foreign leader since starting her presidential campaign.
Axios reported that Netanyahu met “with Harris after spending almost three hours with President Biden discussing” a possible prisoner swap deal.
Today, I had a frank and constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu about a wide range of issues, including my commitment to Israel’s security, the importance of addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the urgent need to get the ceasefire and hostage deal done. pic.twitter.com/tgiSTPQJdL
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 26, 2024
Harris and Netanyahu reportedly discussed for 40 minutes. Following the meeting, the US vice president made an on-camera statement, urging the Israeli prime minister to finalize a deal and end the war.
“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,” Harris 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,” she added.
Two Israeli officials reportedly told Axios that Netanyahu and his team were surprised and taken aback by Harris’ statement, which they perceived as more critical than Biden’s remarks.
“Harris’ statement after the meeting was much more critical than what she told Netanyahu in the meeting,” one Israeli official reportedly said.
Kamala Harris meets Benjamin Netanyahu and shakes his hand
Kamala Harris has as much blood on her hands as Joe Biden. Joe Biden says he’s passing on the torch of democracy to a new generation…
the only torch he’s passing on is the torch of genocide https://t.co/mZ5mTNZjgn pic.twitter.com/wckTy7xcBm
— Afshin Rattansi (@afshinrattansi) July 25, 2024
“The Israeli official said Netanyahu was upset about the fact that Harris spoke about the hostage and ceasefire deal as an end to the war, while Israel maintains its position that it will be able to resume the fighting after the deal is implemented,” according to Axios.
Netanyahu was also unhappy with Harris’ public criticism of Israel regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and civilian casualties.
An aide to the vice president told Axios that he didn’t understand the Israeli officials’ concerns and emphasized that the private meeting between Harris and Netanyahu was “serious and collegial.”
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 39,145 Palestinians have been killed, and 90,257 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
