WASHINGTON: U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will sit down, separately, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, for high stakes talks on winding down the Gaza conflict.
Biden, who stepped aside from the U.S. presidential race under pressure from fellow Democrats, will meet Netanyahu at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) at the White House. It will be their first face-to-face talks since Biden traveled to Israel days after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and hugged Netanyahu and pledged American support.
In the late afternoon, Harris, who is poised to become the Democratic nominee for President, will meet the Israeli leader in her ceremonial office at the White House.
The meeting will be closely watched for signs of how Harris, who was the first top U.S. official to call for a ceasefire, could shift U.S. policy towards Israel if she becomes President.
Harris was expected to closely track the administration line in the meeting, a US official said, focusing on the plight of Palestinians while also supporting Israel’s right to self-defense.
Israeli forces advance in southern Gaza, tanks active in Rafah
Biden and Netanyahu also will meet together with the families of American hostages held by Hamas. The two leaders have had strained relations for months over Israel’s attacks on Gaza, which have killed more than 39,000 people and sparked a humanitarian crisis.
The U.S. is a major arms supplier to Israel and has protected the country from critical United Nations votes.
Netanyahu’s visit, his first to Israel’s most important international ally since returning for a record sixth term as prime minister at the end of 2022, comes on the heels of Biden’s dramatic decision not to seek reelection.
Whether Biden, who is now a “lame duck” president, a term used for officials who won’t serve another term, or Harris, who is tied in many election polls with Republican Donald Trump, can have any influence on Netanyahu’s actions in their meetings remains to be seen.
39,145 Palestinians killed in Gaza offensive since Oct. 7, health ministry says
Both Biden and Harris are eager for a ceasefire. Harris has been aligned with Biden on Israel but has struck a tougher tone.
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