Biden administration officials rephrased key parts of Vice President Kamala Harris’ strongly worded speech in which she blasted Israel’s continuing war against Hamas and called for an immediate cease-fire to free remaining hostages in Gaza, according to government officials who spoke to NBC News.
Officials in Harris’ camp acknowledged some changes to Harris’ fiery speech on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 3 but denied that her words were watered down in any way, asserting that the core of her original message remained unchanged.
According to the unnamed officials, the National Security Council received a draft copy of the speech before Harris delivered it. At that point, agency officials purportedly toned down key passages that condemned Israel for the worsening humanitarian crisis and that called for more funding to Palestinian civilians.
The first version of the speech directly called on Israel to immediately allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, with the officials noting that Harris’ wording was forceful but not likely to cause any disagreement.
During the actual speech, Harris was still critical of Israel, describing the situation in Gaza as desperate and calling it “clearly a humanitarian catastrophe.”
She confirmed that the Defense Department conducted its first airdrop of humanitarian aid into Gaza last week while emphasizing that the Israeli government needed to do more to safeguard refugees as more than 30,500 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.
“They must open new borders for aid,” Harris declared. “They must not impose any unnecessary restrictions on the delivery of aid. They must ensure humanitarian personnel, sites and convoys are not targeted. And they must work to restore basic services and promote order in Gaza so more food, water and fuel can reach those in need.”
Most notably in the speech, Harris called for an immediate six-week cease-fire as part of a deal to release dozens of hostages who’ve been held captive since the war began Oct. 7.
“And given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire for at least six weeks as is what is currently on the table,” Harris said to lengthy applause. “This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid in. This will allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom and self-determination.”
A day after the speech, Harris met with Israeli cabinet minister Benny Gantz in Washington as the White House seeks to pressure Israel to accept another cease-fire.
Negotiators also sat down in Egypt this week to discuss a potential agreement with Hamas, who sent delegates to Cairo for the talks.
The sides were trying to reach an agreement before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins March 10, which would help facilitate the delivery of more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The proposal includes a provision for exchanging the remaining Israeli hostages for several hundred Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel, but first, Israel has demanded to know exactly how many hostages are still being held.
Previously, Israeli officials said the militants kidnapped about 240 Israeli civilians, while less than half were released under an earlier cease-fire agreement, leaving about 134 in captivity.
Under the newest proposal, Hamas demanded temporary housing in Gaza until reconstruction is finished, as at least 60 percent of homes have been destroyed. The militants are also asking for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops and the ability for Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza to come back to their land.
Previously, Gantz vowed “the fighting will continue everywhere,” including Rafah — the southernmost city in Gaza where a million displaced Palestinians have been camped out for weeks — unless Hamas freed the hostages by the start of Ramadan.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues to launch attacks in Gaza, including a strike last Saturday that killed 11 people and injured at least 50 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In another Israeli attack in eastern Rafah the same day, 14 members of a single family were killed, and up to 10 others were trapped under debris.
Also last week, Israeli soldiers opened fire on Palestinian civilians as they attempted to access food from an aid convoy in Gaza City, leading to at least 115 deaths.
On Sunday, however, the Israeli military claimed that most of the civilians died in a stampede and that soldiers only “responded” to imminent threats.
Israeli hostilities continue to put strain on the White House to oppose its primary ally in the Middle East, while Israel is also facing regular anti-government protests as its public grew more infuriated over the handling of the hostage crisis.
At the same time, senators were increasingly urging Biden to take more decisive action to protect Palestinian civilians, and key Biden allies in Congress threatened to cut military aid if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not change his uncompromising approach.
Criticism that initially came from Sen. Bernie Sanders and a small group of progressive Democrats has grown significantly in recent weeks due to the increasing death toll in Gaza.
Now, even President Biden’s closest ally in Congress, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, of Delaware, believes it is necessary to take a firmer stance against Netanyahu’s government regarding its conduct in the war.
Military support for Israel “becomes untenable when Israel demonstrates they are unwilling to listen to us,” Coons told reporters following the shootings of innocent civilians during Feb. 29’s failed aid convoy.
The U.S. air-dropped aid to Gaza for a third time on Thursday ahead of Biden’s State of the Union speech, in which he plans to announce the establishment of a port to deliver food, medicine and other aid to civilians.
The adjustments to Harris’ speech, meanwhile, were more about the tone of the address rather than a shift in U.S. policy on Israel.
The White House explained that Harris’ remarks regarding the cease-fire, which received significant media coverage, echoed previous statements by Biden and reaffirmed the administration’s stance calling for Israel to scale back its recalcitrant military campaign.
When asked whether the vice president’s speech was toned down to mitigate any disagreements between the allies, communications director Kirsten Allen said, “That is inaccurate.”
“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 in a separate statement to NBC.
It is standard practice for administration officials to have their public remarks about foreign policy reviewed by the National Security Council and the West Wing, and in the case of Harris’ speech, several changes were made, some even at the last minute.
The speech was still widely viewed as powerful and effective, even though Harris mostly reiterated the Biden administration’s recent policy position on Israel and didn’t call for any new compromises from the hardline government of Netanyahu, who called demands by Hamas in the current negotiations “delusional.”
Still, Harris’ tenacious delivery on the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday — a pivotal moment of the civil rights movement — gained widespread attention, with extensive coverage by the national media and thousands of people who shared excerpts from the speech online.
“She did what she does best, which is to take the policy issues, break them down in a way that people can understand them and then address it with her own passion and her own sense of what’s right,” said Leah Daughtry, a Democratic political strategist pushing for a permanent cease-fire, according to NBC. “It all came together in a way that we’re still talking about it.”
Despite pressure from activists and faith leaders, the Biden administration has not yet called for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
The apparent move to soften Harris’ speech comes as the White House remains cautious about openly criticizing Israel, even as President Joe Biden walks a thin line in trying to sway intransigent Israeli leaders and at the same time negotiate a hostage deal with Hamas militants.
Last Friday, Biden spoke to reporters in the Oval Office, where he indicated he would back an immediate six-week cease-fire as part of a hostage deal.
“We’re trying to work out a deal between Israel and Hamas,” Biden said. “The hostages being returned, and immediate cease-fire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks. And to allow the surge of aid through the entire Gaza Strip, not just the south, but the entire Gaza Strip.”
Harris toed the line during her rousing speech in Selma two days later.
After the address, she was quick to point out that she and Biden were on the same page.
“The president and I have been aligned and consistent from the very beginning,” Harris told reporters. “Israel has the right to defend itself. Far too many Palestinian civilians, innocent civilians have been killed.”
Before the speech, Biden faced growing criticism for his handling of the war, with many believing that Vice President Harris wanted to take a stronger stance against the fighting in Gaza but felt unable to do so, according to a Democrat who worked on Biden’s 2020 campaign, who spoke to NBC on condition of anonymity.
The source said Harris had made significant efforts to present herself as a more compassionate voice in an effort to connect with Muslim and Arab Americans, as well as other Democrats, who are growing more troubled by the deteriorating situation in Gaza following 22 weeks of war.
“Her hands are tied,” the source told NBC. “People are not attacking her because they know that this is not her policy. This is Biden’s war. This is Biden’s failure.”
