Vice President Kamala Harris sidestepped the question of whether the United States has a close ally in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressing instead the alliance between the American and Israeli people, according to a clip from an upcoming interview on CBS News' "60 Minutes," Mediaite reported on Sunday.
In response to the query, Harris said that "with all due respect, the better question is, Do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? And the answer to that question is yes."
Harris was also asked whether, despite the billions of dollars given annually to Israel in military aid, the U.S. actually has any sway over Netanyahu, considering that he has resisted Biden administration calls for a cease-fire and sent troops into Lebanon against the urging of the U.S.
The vice president said, "The aid that we have given Israel allowed Israel to defend itself against 200 ballistic missiles that were just meant to attack the Israelis and the people of Israel."
Harris continued that "when we think about the threat that Hamas, Hezbollah, presents, [and] Iran, I think that it is, without any question, our imperative to do what we can to allow Israel to defend itself against those kinds of attacks."
She added, "The work that we do diplomatically, with the leadership of Israel, is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles, which include the need for humanitarian aid, the need for this war to end, the need for a deal to be done, which would release the hostages and create a cease-fire. And we're not gonna stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and in the region, including Arab leaders."
Harris emphasized that "the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of, many things — including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region."