(NewsNation) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Thursday. But the only official feedback on the separate meetings came from Harris in a solo statement.
“It is time for this war to end,” Harris said, following what she labeled a “frank and constructive” meeting with Netanyahu. She said she told him that “it is time to get this deal done,” referring to a proposed agreement that would lead to a cease-fire, a two-step withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a path to the long sought “two-state solution.”
“A two-state solution is the only path that ensures Israel remains a secure, Jewish and democratic state, and one that ensures Palestinians can finally realize the freedom, security and the prosperity that they rightly deserve,” Harris said.
The vice president condemned violence committed against Israelis on October 7, 2023, noting the “massacre” of about 1,200 people and Hamas taking about 250 hostages, including a handful of Americans.
While saying there has been “hopeful movement” in the peace talks, Harris also said she expressed to Netanyahu her “serious concern” about the “dire situation” in Gaza.
“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating,” she continued. “The images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety. We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent.”
This was the first time Netanyahu has been to the White House since 2020. Before heading to their closed-door meeting, Netanyahu thanked Biden for “50 years of support for Israel.”
“We have a lot to talk about,” Biden said. But, following that meeting, Biden did not deliver remarks. He deferred to Harris, who this week became the presumptive Democratic party nominee for President following Biden’s withdrawal.
Biden has been pushing for a proposal that could end the fighting and release the remaining hostages being held by Hamas over three phases.
John Kirby, the White House National Security Communications adviser, said that a lot was on the agenda for Netanyahu and Biden to discuss at an afternoon media briefing, including this deal.
“There are gaps that remain and our team continues to work with our counterparts in the region to see if we can’t close those gaps,” Kirby said. “We believe that they are of a nature where they can be closed and then we can achieve a deal.”
While there is still work to do, Kirby said, “we are closer now than we’ve been before.”
“We think it’s absolutely achievable to get this over the finish line,” Kirby told reporters.
Officials from Egypt, Israel, the U.S. and Qatar were expected to meet Thursday to resume talks for a cease-fire deal. However, the Associated Press reported that an Israeli official said their negotiating team was delayed, meaning they will likely not be dispatched until next week.
After their conversation, Biden and Netanyahu met with the families of some of the people taken hostage by Hamas.
Family members at the White House expressed optimism, saying that they were “happy to hear from the president that Hamas knows the ball is in their court.” All those present were in favor of a truce over the Olympics, which take place in Paris, France this year.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s congressional address
Netanyahu’s meetings with Biden and Harris come a day after his address at a joint meeting of Congress amid a war that’s left more than 39,000 dead in Gaza, according to the Associated Press. Israel’s military offensive there started after Hamas militants stormed the southern part of the country Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 people and abducting 250.
More than 60 Democrats, as well as independent Rep. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, did not attend Netanyahu’s speech as a boycott of the prime minister’s actions during the war. Harris was also not at the speech, though said it was because of a long-scheduled trip. Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, was also not present for Netanyahu’s remarks, saying he needed to campaign.
Netanyahu faces much criticism, both domestically and internationally, for the thousands of Palestinian deaths from Israeli bombardment, as well as the humanitarian crisis facing Gaza. A recent report from the leading international authority on hunger crises states that nearly everyone in Gaza is struggling to get enough food. More than 495,000 people, or greater than a fifth of the population of 2.3 million, are expected to experience the highest level of starvation in the coming months, the report said.
The International Criminal Court, which isn’t recognized by the United States, issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over what they allege are war crimes committed by Israel.
Israeli government officials and Netanyahu deny war crimes accusations, with the latter saying that “Israel will always defend itself” in his Wednesday speech.
“Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’s military capabilities and its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home,” Netanyahu said. “That’s what total victory means. And we will settle for nothing less.”
Pro-Palestinian advocates protested outside the Capitol as Netanyahu spoke, demanding a cease-fire and calling what’s happening in Gaza a genocide. Some hostages taken by Hamas who were later freed, and families of those still in captivity, also took issue with Netanyahu’s speech, with five of them rising to display T-shirts with slogans demanding an end to the war. They said in a statement they were “profoundly disappointed” by Netanyahu’s speech, as he “failed to commit to the hostage deal that is now on the table.”
Kamala Harris on Gaza
As the presumptive Democratic nominee for president following Biden dropping out of the 2024 race, there’s been more attention placed on Harris’ stances on Gaza.
Harris has been more outspoken about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza during the conflict — and used the words “immediate ceasefire” before Biden did.
“People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane and our common humanity compels us to act,” Harris said at a March event to commemorate the 59th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Alabama. “The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses.”
Still, she released a statement Thursday morning condemning the previous day’s demonstrations, calling some protestors “unpatriotic.”
“I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews,” Harris said, adding that the “pro-Hamas” graffiti reportedly seen was “abhorrent.”
On Thursday, Kirby referred questions on how Harris’ administration would approach the situation in Gaza to her campaign, but said the vice president has been a “full partner” in Biden’s policies in the Middle East, especially those on Israel.
“(Harris has) been involved in nearly every conversation the president has had with the prime minister,” Kirby said.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
