Amid friction with Israeli leadership, Vice President Kamala Harris sidestepped a question about whether she considers Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be a “real, close ally.”
“I think, with all due respect, the better question is, do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? And the answer to that question is yes,” Harris told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in a preview clip.
Since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in which 1,200 Israelis were killed, the Harris-Biden administration has, at times, found itself at loggerheads with Netanyahu over his response.
Seeking to avert a broader, protracted war, Harris and President Biden pushed back against certain Israeli military operations in Lebanon as well as the Gaza Strip and called for a ceasefire.
Harris, 59, met with Netanyahu, 74, days after Biden bowed out of the 2024 race and underscored the plights of the Palestinian people, telling him publicly, “We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering — and I will not be silent.”
Biden, 81, has repeatedly clashed with Netanyahu, warning the US ally not to invade the southern Gazan city of Rafah without an adequate plan for civilians.