Vice President Kamala Harris says Biden administration ‘putting pressure on Israel’ to reach ceasefire with Hamas, dodges question on whether Netanyahu is a close ally of the US.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
Vice President Kamala Harris refused to answer whether she considers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “close ally” of the United States, dodging a direct question during a recent interview with CBS‘ “60 Minutes.”
During the interview, which is slated to air Monday night with a teaser released on Sunday, the vice president was pressed on American aid to Israel, and questioned over the alleged inability of the Biden administration to rein in the Israeli government vis-a-vis the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the IDF’s incursion into southern Lebanon, and the possibility of a major Israeli reprisal against Iran following a massive ballistic missile attack last week.
Harris defended American aid to the Jewish state, calling it “imperative” to enable Israel to “defend itself from those kinds of attacks” launched by “Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran.”
“The aid that we have given Israel allowed Israel to defend itself against 200 ballistic missiles that were meant to attack the Israelis and the people of Israel.”
At the same time, Harris emphasized that the White House is applying “pressure on Israel” to reach a ceasefire with Hamas and to ensure the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip.
“The work we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles, which include the need for humanitarian aid, the need for this war to end, the need for a deal to be done that would release the hostages and create a cease-fire.”
“We’re not going to stop putting that pressure on Israel and in the region, including Arab leaders.”
When asked whether Netanyahu is a “real close ally” of the United States, and why the Israeli government appears to defy the Biden administration on major issues, Harris avoided giving direct responses.
“I think, with all due respect, the better question is, do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? The answer to that question is yes.”
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