Vice President Kamala Harris' response to a reporter's question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "appalling" and represented interference in Israel's election process, Jewish News Syndicate senior editor Ruthie Blum told Newsmax on Monday morning.
Harris, during a Sunday interview on CBS' "60 Minutes," was asked whether the U.S. had "a real, close ally" in Netanyahu. The vice president chose not to answer the question, saying, "the better question is: Do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people."
"I thought it was quite appalling, actually," Blum said on "Wake Up America" after being asked her thoughts on Harris' response. "First of all, especially in light of what President [Joe] Biden said at a press conference that, you know, Bibi Netanyahu should remember that there's no better friend in the White House.
"I think it's terrible that Kamala Harris is trying to separate the Israeli people from our leader. They're worried about Israel interfering in the U.S. election but that is exactly an interference in Israeli society and in our democratic election. And I think that it's very disturbing."
A former adviser to Netanyahu, Blum said the prime minister would "target Iran in some fashion soon, in the very near future." She also credited him with "brilliantly" handling war efforts since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
"You have to understand that as Israel is being assaulted on seven fronts, all headed by Iran of course, Netanyahu is also facing a lot of criticism at home and from allies outside of Israel," Blum told co-hosts Sharla McBride and Alison Maloni.
"Now, it's one thing that he's attacked by enemies outside of Israel. I mean rhetorically, etc. But even allies have turned against him, and he has remained strong and steadfast against calls for a cease-fire at home and abroad. And thank God for that."
McBride suggested to Blum that the relationship between the Biden administration and Netanyahu "doesn't look too great right now."
"No, it doesn't," Blum said. "And I'll tell you, I think what's happened is that Netanyahu finally realized that there's so much that he can accept from Washington, even though Washington is Israel's greatest ally, and all through the years, he has been very, very careful not to antagonize the Biden administration.
"Right from the beginning, there was an attempt to tie Israel's hands in the war in Gaza, and now in the war in Lebanon, etc. And I think that finally, Netanyahu is telling his allies to stop doing it, that Israel is on the front lines of a war that is waged against the entire West, not just against Israel."
Blum was also asked whether more could be done to release the Israeli and American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
"Absolutely, and I believe that Biden would be hard pressed to name those American hostages, by the way," she said. "The only way to get those hostages out is A, to rescue them through military means, and we've done that [with] some of them and B, to put pressure on Iran and Hamas and pressure on Iran and Hamas and Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen and that's what we're doing.
"What is upsetting is that from the beginning, the United States, that's supposed to be the greatest power in the world, couldn't use more influence to rescue American hostages. All the Biden administration wanted to do was reach some kind of agreement with these bloodthirsty terrorists. And that is a terrible message in the Middle East."
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Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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