Harris’s Israel dilemma: How far to distance herself from Biden on Gaza

WASHINGTON : Vice President Kamala Harris emerged from a tense White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month demanding an end to the fighting in Gaza, saying she would “not be silent" about the worsening humanitarian conditions for Palestinians.

The demonstration of Harris’s forceful public posture toward Israel revealed subtle gaps between her and President Biden over the Middle East that are widening as her presidential campaign intensifies.

Though Biden and Harris are united on defending Israel, the vice president has been blunter than the president for months on the need for Netanyahu’s government to open up the flow of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and for a deal with Hamas on halting the fighting.

For Harris, staking out a position on the Gaza war distinct from Biden’s helps her woo progressives and other voters angry at the White House’s support for Israel, but it also carries risk. If she aligns herself too closely with Israel’s critics, she could alienate other voters and hand Republican nominee Donald Trump an opening to attack her.

“There is the inner Kamala, of a different generation than Biden whose empathy and sensibilities run deeper than the president’s when it comes to Palestinian suffering," said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East peace negotiator who served in Republican and Democratic administrations. “Then there is the outer Kamala, the moderate pro-Israel Democrat who for political reasons when it comes to Israel needs to color between the lines."

Harris has had relatively little influence on the administration’s Gaza policy, U.S. officials said, though she has joined more than 20 calls between Biden and Netanyahu and attended Situation Room meetings on