Harris’ team rejects Israeli notion that her comments could harm ceasefire talks

(CNN) — Vice President Kamala Harris’ office on Friday is rejecting a suggestion from a senior Israeli official that the vice president’s remarks on Thursday that forcefully criticized Israel’s conduct in its war against Hamas could have made a ceasefire deal harder to reach.

“I don’t know what they’re talking about,” a Harris aide told CNN, in response to a senior Israeli official being quoted in The Times of Israel: “Hopefully the remarks Harris made in her press conference won’t be interpreted by Hamas as daylight between the US and Israel, thereby making a deal harder to secure.”

Harris declared that she would “not be silent” about the suffering in Gaza amid the war after her meeting with Netanyahu. She also said that Israel has a right to defend itself but “how it does so matters,” staking out her lane as an empathetic and strong voice for the Palestinian suffering, just days after she became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.

But the vice president’s office on Friday sought to clarify that her message to Netanyahu behind closed doors mirrored that of Biden.

“President Biden and Vice President Harris delivered the same message in their private meetings to Prime Minister Netanyahu: it is time to get the ceasefire and hostage deal done,” an aide to the vice president told reporters, adding that the meeting was “serious and collegial.”

Harris has already made some public comments about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war that had a similar tone to her remarks after the Netanyahu meeting on Thursday. She emphasized the need for an “immediate ceasefire” in March, taking a long pause before adding the rest of the approved sentence: “for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table.”

Harris’s office pointed out that her comments on Thursday “tracked with her previous comments on the conflict.”

“She started with rock-solid support for Israel and then she expressed her concern about civilian causalities and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as she always does,” said the aide, responding to reporters’ questions.

But her comments marked the first time that she spoke about the conflict since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee as she is faced with the challenge of defining her position on the politically charged issue of the Israel-Hamas war.

Her remarks on Thursday were not a major surprise to some administration officials who have been privy to her team’s views in interagency meetings.

Multiple US officials say that Harris’ team has often advocated for putting more pressure on Israel during interagency conversations over the course of recent months since October 7. For example, Harris’s aides have been advocates for sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank, one source said.

Harris’s aides have also opposed the idea of possible low-level engagement with far-right members of Netanyahu’s Cabinet – such as Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir – making the case that engagement would be elevating their views, one official said. So far, the Biden administration has decided against reaching out to them.

Biden administration officials acknowledged that there might be some tension in the coming weeks as Harris develops her voice and her policy on the Israel-Hamas war. She has created that tension within the administration in the past on this issue. But now, they say that the tension could be worth it, given the ultimate goal of trying to draw in voters as she is at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket.

“She’s not substantively different than the president, but she’s tonally different,” one administration source told CNN.

A close friend familiar with Harris’ views expected “zero” chance she would break with Biden on policy, while acknowledging the opportunity for her to introduce more nuance, especially now that she’s the party’s candidate. “She’s allowed to support Israel but also want the war to end.”

Arab American leaders say that throughout the course of the Israel-Hamas war, Harris’ team has been “much more responsive” to the frustrations of their community when it comes to the Biden administration’s policies.

“Harris and her office threw us a lifeline early on,” Dr. James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. “I spoke with her and she demonstrated compassion and empathy. She wanted to know what she could do to be responsive to our concerns.”

CNN’s Tim Lister and Tamar Michaelis contributed to this report.

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