- The Washington Times - Thursday, December 14, 2023

A spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday rejected reports of a split between her and President Biden over the plight of civilians in Gaza amid Israel’s onslaught.

Politico reported that Ms. Harris pushed White House colleagues, including Mr. Biden, to show more public sensitivity to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in retaliation for Hamas’ terrorist Oct. 7 rampage on Israel.

Kristen Allen, a spokeswoman for Ms. Harris, pushed back on the report.

“As I told Politico a week ago, ’There is no daylight between the president and vice president nor has there been,’ and media should be cautious and discerning about including anonymous ’sources’ who are not privy to their private conversations,” Ms. Allen wrote on X.

Citing people reportedly familiar with the conversations, Political said Ms. Harris is pushing the administration to take a tougher stance against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war strategy and do more to press for a two-state solution.

The report came days after Mr. Biden took his harshest stance yet against Mr. Netanyahu, issuing a warning that Israel could lose the world’s support if it continues the “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza.

It also follows Ms. Harris’ visit to Dubai for a climate conference where she met with Arab officials to discuss the Israel-Hamas war.

“Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating,” Ms. Harris said during her visit.

Mr. Biden and administration officials have sought to walk a tight line between expressing unwavering support for Israel and urging the Jewish state to minimize civilian casualties. The administration has also pressed for humanitarian aid to assist those in Gaza.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.

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