Kamala Harris May Have Botched the Gaza Hostage and Ceasefire Deal

Since Joe Biden dropped out and endorsed Kamala Harris as his successor, a bizarre co-presidency dynamic has emerged, in what is an attempt to boost Kamala's presidential credentials. In the first critical test of her foreign policy chops, Harris appears to have stumbled, creating friction with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

According to an Israeli official, Netanyahu was upset by Harris’ on-camera remarks after their meeting on Thursday and now fears that her public remarks after their meeting could undermine ongoing negotiations over a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal. This was her first meeting with a foreign leader since launching her solo presidential campaign, and this is the kind of misstep she can't afford to make. 

Harris and Netanyahu spoke for about 40 minutes. After they spoke, she called on Netanyahu to get a hostage and ceasefire deal done.

"It is time for this war to end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity, and self-determination," she said. "And as I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu it is time to get this deal done. Let's get the deal done. So we can get a ceasefire to end the war. Let's bring the hostages home. And let's provide much-needed relief to the Palestinian people."

According to Axios, Netanyahu "was upset by Vice President Kamala Harris' on-camera statement after their meeting and is concerned it will harm the negotiations over a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official said in a briefing with reporters."

In her remarks, Harris also kowtowed to the pro-Palestinian wing of her party by essentially blaming Israel for the suffering in Gaza, including mass casualties and creating a humanitarian crisis.

Behind the scenes: Two Israeli officials said Netanyahu's meeting with Biden was much more constructive than his meeting with Harris, but stressed the meeting with the vice president wasn't tense or difficult.

• The Israeli officials said Netanyahu and his team were caught off guard by Harris' on-camera statement and taken aback by its tone, which they said sounded much more critical than Biden's.
• "Harris' statement after the meeting was much more critical than what she told Netanyahu in the meeting," one Israeli official claimed.

Between the lines: The Israeli official said Netanyahu was upset about the fact that Harris spoke about the hostage and ceasefire deal as an end to the war, while Israel maintains its position that it will be able to resume the fighting after the deal is implemented.

• The Israeli official also said Netanyahu was unhappy with the fact that Harris criticized Israel publicly for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and for killing civilians, especially at the current timing amid the hostage deal negotiations.

"When our enemies see the U.S. and Israel are aligned it increases the chances for a hostage deal and decreases the chances for a regional escalation," the Israeli official said. "When there is such daylight it pushes the deal further away and brings a regional escalation closer. We hope that Harris' public criticism of Israel won't give Hamas the impression that there is daylight between the U.S. and Israel and as a result make it harder to get a deal."

The timing and nature of Harris’ comments could have serious implications going forward and could potentially influence the regional dynamics. If she was hoping this meeting was going to boost her foreign policy credentials, she made a major miscalculation that will likely undermine her campaign going forward. With Netanyahu scheduled to meet former President Donald Trump on Friday, Harris’ handling of this situation will likely become new fodder for his campaign.