Vice President Kamala Harris is taking a more assertive stance against Israel compared to President Joe Biden as she attempts to get progressive support for her presidential campaign, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Harris has called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow more humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and to broker a cease-fire with Hamas.
U.S. officials told the Journal Harris has little influence on the administration's Gaza policy, though she has been on more than 20 calls between Biden and Netanyahu and attended meetings in the Situation Room. Biden, his White House aides, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and CIA Director Bill Burns are a part of the day-to-day cease-fire discussions, the Journal reported.
A group of pro-Palestinian activists who have discouraged voting for the Democrat ticket over its handling of the Israel-Hamas war met with Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, backstage at a rally in Detroit this week, the Journal said. Abbas Alawieh, one of the group's founders, told the Journal he asked if she would meet with the group's leaders about an arms embargo for Israel.
Harris was open to a meeting but didn't make any firm commitments, Alawieh said.
A spokeswoman for Harris' campaign told the Journal she hadn't promised the group a meeting about restricting arms to Israel, but said she will continue to engage with Arabs, Muslims, and Palestinians about the war in Gaza.
"The vice president has been clear: She will always work to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups," she said.
Phil Gordon, Harris' national security adviser, said Harris doesn't support an arms embargo on Israel.
"She will continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law," Gordon told the Journal.
Administration officials told the Journal Biden and Harris coordinate closely on how to handle Israel with Harris preferring to speak candidly with the president behind closed doors.
Biden has also entrusted Harris with devising "day after" plans for Gaza, leading her to travel to Dubai last December largely to meet with Arab leaders on pathways forward, the Journal said.
The vice president has been more forceful than others in the Biden administration in advocating for limiting civilian casualties and addressing the humanitarian crisis in the region, according to the Journal.