White House defends military aid to Israel ahead of 10/7 anniversary
A senior Biden administration official raised concerns about ‘extreme’ elements on left and right seeking change to U.S.-Israel relationship
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Vice President Kamala Harris stood by the Biden administration’s military assistance to Israel in a “60 Minutes” interview, describing it as “our imperative” to help Israel defend itself against threats from Iran and Iranian-backed militias.
“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,” Harris said in a clip released a day before the full CBS News interview, which is scheduled to air on Monday. “When we think about the threat that Hamas, Hezbollah presents, Iran, I think that it is without any question our imperative to do what we can to allow Israel to defend itself against those kinds of attacks.”
Harris’ comments were made public the night before the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, which killed some 1,200 people in Israel and sparked a war that has grown to encompass Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Iran.
Pressed by “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker to criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu, Harris declined to answer when asked whether the U.S. has a “real ally” in Netanyahu. “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 responded.
Harris said the U.S. has had some sway with Israel in “making clear our principles” around “the need for humanitarian aid, the need for this war to end [and] the need for a deal to be done which would release the hostages and create a cease-fire.” She added the U.S. will continue “putting that pressure on Israel and in the region, including Arab leaders,” and that the pressure “has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel.”
In the “60 Minutes” segment, Harris was not asked how she thinks Israel should respond to last week’s Iranian ballistic missile attack. President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to attack Iranian nuclear sites or Iranian oil fields, even as he has said Israel has a right to respond. The Biden administration has encouraged renewed diplomatic activity to end the fighting with Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border.
“At some point, the expectation is that Israel returns to a diplomatic path, because we believe that that is the only way that we will be able to see a sustainable solution in Gaza and return people back to their homes, both on Israel’s southern border, on the northern border and in Lebanon,” a senior Biden administration official told Jewish Insider on Sunday. Biden is “really committed” to reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal, said the official, who did not offer a timetable for the deal Biden has been pushing since May.
An Israeli counterstrike on Iran is “not necessarily” contrary to that goal of diplomacy on Israel’s northern border, the official stated. “Israel is going to have to make its own call according to its sovereignty,” said the official.
Outlining the White House’s approach to Israel after Oct. 7, the senior official described it as “gentle guidance and ironclad friendship” — asserting Washington’s support for Israel while also acknowledging, like Harris, that the U.S. has at times sought to push Israel to take a different course of action.
“Only good friends understand the painful predicament that Israel is under every day, and only good friends can help impart the kind of advice that we have tried to have Israel learn through our own processes,” the official added, outlining conversations about “operating among humanitarian convoys” and “ensuring that civilians are protected.”
One weapons shipment to Israel remains paused: the 2,000-pound bombs that Biden put on hold in May, when he warned Israel not to mount a full-scale ground operation in the densely packed southern Gaza city of Rafah. Israel ultimately limited its operation, but the weapons have still not been sent.
The senior administration official said other Israeli requests remain under review but attributed the delay in processing not to concerns over Israel’s war conduct but rather to the slow approval process, which usually takes place years in advance and not in real time. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, last week urged Biden to release the hold on the 2,000-pound bombs and to expedite any other Israeli weapons requests.
“Israel has everything it needs from the United States at this point, and the president has given Israel his commitment to be able to continue to provide Israel with what it needs,” said the Biden administration official, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about diplomatic conversations. “Our current guidance is that we don’t condition these items, but we can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
In this case, that means delivering weapons to Israel while also having “the conversations about how these items are expected to be used, what the legal obligations are, both during and after the fact, [and] our expectations on accountability for misuse,” according to the official.
While Biden’s approach to Israel after Oct. 7 has faced criticism from some on the right who think he has been too harsh on Israel in its war against Hamas, he has faced significant blowback from many on the left, who view Biden as too supportive of Israel in the face of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Biden administration official expressed concern about anti-Israel activists on the far left and isolationists on the far right who want to see an end to American support for Israel.
“There is certainly an extreme of the party, of the Democratic Party, and frankly, of the Republican Party, that want us to have a different relationship with Israel,” said the official. “But from the center, assuming that the center holds, I think that the U.S.-Israel relationship is in a good place.”
Biden will mark the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks with a yahrzeit candle-lighting at the White House. He will be joined by Rabbi Aaron Alexander, a senior rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, according to a source with knowledge of the event. Alexander was connected to Biden after Oct. 7 because of his close relationship with the Goldberg-Polin family, whose son, Hersh, an American citizen, was killed by Hamas in August after being held hostage for nearly a year.
At the Naval Observatory, Harris will mark a year since Oct. 7 by planting a pomegranate tree with her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, in honor of the victims of the attack. A White House aide said Harris chose a pomegranate tree because it “represents hope and righteousness in Judaism.”
In remarks to the press, Harris “will reflect on the pain and loss from Oct. 7, and reaffirm her unwavering commitment to the security of Israel and of the Jewish people, and her commitment to prevent anything like Oct. 7, 2023, from ever happening again,” according to the aide.