Vice President Kamala Harris Praises President Joe Biden's 'Leadership' Skills Over Gaza Ceasefire

The immediate cease-fire in the Gaza conflict is what Vice President Kamala Harris has said she will be pushing for with Israeli Cabinet member Benny Gantz. Speaking to reporters, Harris said she and Gantz will talk about completing the hostage agreement, delivering aid to the Gaza Strip, and "getting that six-week cease-fire." Praising President Joe Biden's efforts over the issue Harris said, "The president has been an extraordinary leader in getting us to this point that we have the six-week deal." In response to a question about whether she and the president had any progress, she stated: "The president and I have been aligned and consistent from the very beginning."

"I will tell you that it is important that we all understand that we're in a window of time right now where we can actually get a hostage deal done," she said as reported by The Daily Mail. "We all want this conflict to end as soon as possible and how it does matters." "Let's get the ceasefire. Let's reunite the hostages with their families. And let's provide immediate relief to the people of Gaza," Harris added.

Gantz was the one who asked for the meeting with Harris, according to White House spokesperson John Kirby. "A member of the war cabinet from Israel wants to come to the United States wants to talk to us about the progress of that war, giving us an opportunity to talk about the importance of getting humanitarian assistance, increased opportunity to talk about the importance of this hostage deal. We're not going to turn away that sort of opportunity,"  he told reporters during a press meet. 

This week, Biden administration officials, including Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Council Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk, and White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, will meet with Gantz, a centrist political rival of Netanyahu. While at Camp David, President Biden is getting ready to deliver his State of the Union speech. He's coming under increasing pressure at home and outside for the way he handled the Israel-Hamas conflict. According to a party official close to Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister gave the Cabinet official a "tough talk" about the situation and Gantz did not have the prime minister's clearance for his talks in Washington.

Considered a political moderate, Gantz is one of the strongest contenders for prime minister if elections were conducted today, according to polls. Gantz has decided to resign from office if the fierce fighting stops, which will add more pressure on early elections. Reportedly Gantz's encounter at the White House has infuriated Netanyahu. Before Tuesday's Michigan primary, Biden was under tremendous pressure to try to earn back the support of progressives and young voters who had grown disenchanted with his support for Israel.