Kamala Harris privately ‘urges Biden to be be more sympathetic to Palestinian civilians’
- According to the report, the vice president urged Biden to change the approach to the Gaza crisis
- The president has benefited greatly from his close friendship with Benjamin Netanyahu
- This week he warned Israel that it would lose support with “indiscriminate” bombings
Vice President Kamala Harris has reportedly urged his colleagues to show more public concern for the Palestinian victims of Israel's attack on Gaza, illustrating divisions within the government over how to handle the crisis.
Insiders said President Joe Biden himself was on the receiving end of Harris' pleas.
He positioned himself as President Benjamin Netanyahu's closest ally even as international criticism of the Israeli bombing began to grow.
But this week the president said for the first time that Israel's “indiscriminate” bombings risked undermining support for his efforts to drive Hamas terrorists out of Gaza.
Dozens of government officials have expressed their reservations — anonymously or in signed open letters — about Washington's support for Israel.
Vice President Kamala Harris has reportedly urged his colleagues, including President Joe Biden, to be more publicly sympathetic to the Palestinians in Gaza amid the Israeli bombardment.
An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from southern Israel towards the Gaza Strip
Now it appears the government is divided even at the top, a report has found Politics.
Three sources said Harris wants the White House to publicly show more concern about the humanitarian damage in Gaza.
And someone close to the vice president's office said the United States should take a tougher stance on Netanyahu and “be more forceful in seeking long-term peace and a two-state solution.”
She has often shown greater sensitivity to criticism from the party's left than her more centrist boss.
Israel launched its campaign after Hamas terrorists spread from Gaza in a killing spree on October 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing 240 hostages.
Since then, the siege and bombardment have killed more than 18,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Tens of thousands of homes have been razed to the ground and aid organizations warn of an impending humanitarian catastrophe.
Biden has made no secret of his long friendship with Netayanhu, and officials have said their close cooperation with Israel has allowed them to exert more influence than if they were openly critical.
But that has changed in the past two weeks.
A reservist jumps from an armored personnel carrier at a staging post near the Gaza border
More than 18,000 people have been killed in the siege and bombardment of Gaza, according to Hamas-controlled Palestinian health authorities.
Biden's vice president used a speech in Dubai to issue the strongest demand yet that Israel adhere to international humanitarian law.
“Too many innocent Palestinians have been murdered,” she said. “Frankly, the extent of civilian suffering and the images and videos from Gaza are devastating.”
On the same day, Biden's Defense Secretary warned that Israel's campaign could backfire by radicalizing a new generation of Hamas recruits.
“In these types of battles, the center of gravity is the civilian population,” said Lloyd Austin. “And if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace tactical victory with strategic defeat.”
Biden himself weighed in this week, saying Netanyahu's government must change course.
“They are starting to lose that support because of indiscriminate bombings that are happening,” he told a gathering of donors.”
Kirsten Allen, Harris' press secretary, dismissed the idea of division between the administration's two top figures.
“There is no daylight between the president and the vice president, nor has there been,” she told Politico.
They “have been clear: Israel has the right and responsibility to defend itself; humanitarian aid must flow into Gaza; innocent civilians must be protected; and the United States remains committed to a two-state solution,” she said.