Three current U.S. officials and a former U.S. official said the National Security Council toned down parts of Harris' widely covered speech. The vice president's office denied it was watered down.
The move to soften Harris’ comments highlights how reluctant the White House still is to aggressively criticize Israel in public as President Joe Biden tries to maintain some influence over the Israeli government and secure a hostage deal.
The current officials said that the changes were tonal, rather than shifts in policy, and that Harris’ comments about a cease-fire — which were widely covered — reiterated Biden’s remarks two days earlier and the administration’s position on the war.
“The Vice President felt it was important to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, given recent developments, and to reiterate our Administration’s call on Hamas to accept the terms of the hostage deal,” she said.
Harris’ comments about the Middle East came at the beginning of a speech she delivered on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, to mark the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday — when civil rights activists, including the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., were beaten by law enforcement officers for demanding racial justice.
Even though Harris was restating the policy position the Biden administration has held in recent weeks, her forceful delivery went viral, with thousands of people posting her comments online and a number of media outlets writing about them.
An official in Harris’ office said she decided she wanted to talk about Gaza in her speech in Selma after Biden said Friday that the administration would back an immediate six-week cease-fire as part of a hostage deal.
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This is the best summary I could come up with:
The move to soften Harris’ comments highlights how reluctant the White House still is to aggressively criticize Israel in public as President Joe Biden tries to maintain some influence over the Israeli government and secure a hostage deal.
The current officials said that the changes were tonal, rather than shifts in policy, and that Harris’ comments about a cease-fire — which were widely covered — reiterated Biden’s remarks two days earlier and the administration’s position on the war.
“The Vice President felt it was important to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, given recent developments, and to reiterate our Administration’s call on Hamas to accept the terms of the hostage deal,” she said.
Harris’ comments about the Middle East came at the beginning of a speech she delivered on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, to mark the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday — when civil rights activists, including the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., were beaten by law enforcement officers for demanding racial justice.
Even though Harris was restating the policy position the Biden administration has held in recent weeks, her forceful delivery went viral, with thousands of people posting her comments online and a number of media outlets writing about them.
An official in Harris’ office said she decided she wanted to talk about Gaza in her speech in Selma after Biden said Friday that the administration would back an immediate six-week cease-fire as part of a hostage deal.
The original article contains 1,384 words, the summary contains 243 words. Saved 82%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!