Kamala Harris stepping up in joint Biden admin phone call to Netanyahu

Vice President Kamala Harris joined President Joe Biden on Thursday in a phone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marking a more prominent role for the vice president as she seeks the Democratic nomination for president.

Harris is expected to become the official Democratic nominee for president by early next week, after the party's delegates officially cast their ballot for her in a virtual roll call that began Thursday night. No other Democrats have emerged to challenge her for the nomination. 

The phone call, which comes after Israel launched several retaliatory airstrikes against the terrorist organizations Hezbollah and Hamas, reiterated American support for the country.

“The President discussed efforts to support Israel’s defense against threats, including against ballistic missiles and drones, to include new defensive U.S. military deployments,” the White House said in a readout of the call.

Biden also urged a broader de-escalation of the heightened tensions in the Middle East, even after Iran and Hezbollah threatened to attack Israel after they allegedly killed Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. Israel has not claimed credit for the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh so far.

Harris has not commented on the phone call so far, but it comes after she skipped Netanyahu's address to Congress last month. But Netanyahu met with the vice president separately later, who urged him to reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. 

The vice president also appears to be distinguishing herself from the Biden administration's approach to the war in Gaza, by attempting to show more compassion and empathy for Palestinian civilians. 

Former President Donald Trump, Harris's rival, also met with Netanyahu following his address to Congress, at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

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