Vice President Kamala Harris will neither preside over nor attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint-session of Congress on Wednesday afternoon, according to two congressional aides who spoke to NBC News on Tuesday.
Harris will instead be attending the Zeta Phi Beta sorority’s Grand Boulé in Indianapolis, according to 21 Alive News.
The vice president’s office did not respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment at the time of publishing
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Harris will instead meet one-on-one with Netanyahu another time, according to an aide close to Harris who spoke with the Wall Street Journal.
Harris will reportedly tell Netanyahu, “it is time for the war to end in a way where Israel is secure, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can enjoy their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.”
Israeli officials have criticized Harris’ decision not to attend the address, telling the Telegraph her decision was “disappointing” and “not a way to treat an ally.”
The officials also called the decision not to attend a “boycott.”
Harris has been seen to be more ‘cautious’ than President Biden in her support for Israel, telling an audience in Dubai in December, “as Israel defends itself, it matters how... Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating.”
However, a Biden admin official told the Times of Israel on Monday that “There has been no division of labor or dispute on policy [over Israel].” “Vice President Harris shares President Biden’s support for an ironclad US commitment to Israel’s security coupled with a commitment to advancing a two-state solution in order to bring an end to this cycle of violence,” the official added.
Ahead of the address, Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), released a statement ensuring there will be “additional security measures.”
“Due to the attention garnered by the prime minister’s address, there will be an increased police presence around the Capitol complex and in the House Chamber. In the interests of all involved, we will enforce a zero-tolerance policy for disturbances in the building,” Johnson added.
Expecting protests, Johnson warned that “if any Member creates a disturbance, the Sergeant at Arms will request that such action be ceased immediately, and we trust that request will be heeded.”
Sen. Ben Cardin, (D-MD) is set to preside over the session.
