NBC: NSC Toned Down Harris' 6-Week Cease-Fire Speech

Vice President Kamala Harris' speech demanding a six-week Gaza cease-fire caused a media stir, and NBC News reported that it came after Biden administration officials tempered some of the language.

The National Security Council tweaked her speech to soften some of the boldest "tone," sources told NBC, claims the office of the vice president have denied.

The original draft of the speech was reportedly targeting Israel more harshly in its war on Hamas and seeking the return of the about 100 remaining hostages from terrorists, according to two sources.

"That is inaccurate," Harris' communications director Kirsten Allen told NBC, denying the claims and maintaining the core messaging remained uncensored. "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."

Sending speeches to the NSC for review is common practice. Several tweaks were made to original speech changing to what Harris ultimately delivered, according to the report.

The NSC did not respond to NBC's request for comment.

Harris said the "Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid," as the U.S. conducted its first air-drop of humanitarian packages this week.

"They must open new borders for aid," Harris said, criticizing Israel. "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."

But it was the demand for a cease-fire that made headlines, because Israel has been steadfast in its three objectives in its war on Hamas: 1. Return all hostages; 2. Eradicate Hamas terrorists; 3. Demilitarize and deradicalize Gaza.

"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 in her speech. "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."

As was edited by the NSC, according to the report, it was her tone and not the message that made waves, because it brought a sense of anti-Israel sentiment for the far-left that is siding with Palestinians amid Israel's seeking of hostages and war on Hamas.

"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," Democrat strategist Leah Daughtry, a cease-fire activist, told NBC. "It all came together in a way that we're still talking about it."

Harris stressed afterward that there is no rift between her and President Joe Biden on Israel.

"The president and I have been aligned and consistent from the very beginning," she told reporters. "Israel has the right to defend itself. Far too many Palestinian civilians, innocent civilians, have been killed."

With Arab Americans — especially those in the key battleground state — unhappy with the Biden administration and his reelection hopes hanging in the balance, Harris reportedly sought to be a dogwhistle to salvage those votes from being "uncommitted" to Democrats in the election.

"Her hands are tied," a 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.

"I think she would have asked for a cease-fire a long time ago."