'Frank and constructive:' Kamala Harris meets with Israel's Netanyahu, calls for ceasefire

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday described her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "frank and constructive," and told him it was time to strike a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

Harris's meeting comes a day after the Israeli leader addressed a joint session of Congress, which the vice president skipped for a campaign event. Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president on Monday after President Joe Biden dropped his bid for reelection. Major Democrats have since united around her.

The vice president said her meeting emphasized both Israel's right to defend itself against those that attack it and compassion for Palestinian civilians that have endured suffering amid the war.

“I will always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself including from Iran and Iran-backed militias such as Hamas and Hezbollah,” Harris said in remarks reported by The Hill.  “I’ve said it many times but it bears repeating, Israel has a right to defend itself, but how it does so matters."

The meeting was an opportunity for Harris to show her foreign policy skills ahead of the November election, where she will face former President Donald Trump if she becomes the official nominee. Although Biden was the major force on the global stage in his administration, and primarily stood with Israel, Harris now appears to be painting herself as more sympathetic to Palestinians. 

“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating,” Harris said. “The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time. We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent.”

Harris said she has seen "hopeful movement" on getting the ceasefire deal reached with Hamas, but so far both sides have been skeptical of the deal outlined by Biden earlier this year. 

Netanyahu also met with Biden at the White House on Thursday. He was originally expected to meet the president on Monday, but the meeting was delayed after Biden tested positive for COVID-19. Netanyahu is also expected to meet Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.