Vice President Kamala Harris refused to call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an ally in an interview set to air on Monday, the anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 massacre inside Israel.
Harris sat down for an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” and discussed the course of the war in the Middle East over the last year.
Correspondent Bill Whitaker asked Harris if the Biden-Harris administration held “no sway” over Netanyahu as the Israeli leader has repeatedly bucked the administration’s pleas for him to go soft on Islamic terrorist groups throughout the region that attack the state of Israel.
“The aid that we have given Israel allowed Israel to defend itself against 200 ballistic missiles that were just meant to attack the Israelis and the people of Israel,” she said.
She said that the administration supported Israel in defending itself against terror attacks from Iran and its Islamic proxy groups throughout the region.
“The work that 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 which would release the hostages and create a ceasefire,” she said. “And we’re not going to stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and in the region, including Arab leaders.”
“The work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region,” she claimed.
When asked point blank if the U.S. had a “close ally” in Netanyahu, Harris refused to call him an 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?” she said. “And the answer to that question is yes.”
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