Vice President Kamala Harris called her friend José Andrés after news broke on Monday that Israel’s airstrike in Gaza killed seven aid workers with his group World Central Kitchen. She told him she was “devastated” by the deaths, spoke about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and voiced support for his team’s efforts, her office said of the previously unreported call.
Andrés has spent the ensuing days speaking out against Israel’s strike. The outrage over the deaths may lead to a policy shift: On Thursday, President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and warned that the U.S. could place conditions on Israel aid if the nation does not present a plan to better protect civilians and aid workers. Harris was on the phone call as well and reiterated afterward that Biden had drawn a line. “If there are not changes to their approach, it is very likely we’re going to change our approach,” she told Spectrum News 1, describing the conversation as frank and candid.
Harris’ role in both conversations shows how involved she has become in the administration’s response to the conflict, attempting to acknowledge outrage over the Israel-Hamas war while maintaining the White House’s support for Israel.