Vice President J.D. Vance called out Israeli counter-signaling of U.S.-Iran negotiations, telling the country’s leadership that its popularity in the world has been diminishing and the United States, under President Donald Trump, is the “only powerful ally” Israel has left.
“Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time, and he happens to be the head of state of the world superpower,” Vance said. “If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”
Support for Israel in the U.S. has been declining precipitously in both parties and across several age demographics.
At a Thursday press conference in the White House briefing room, Vance was asked about Axios reporting suggesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “fum[ing]” over the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the United States and Iran to begin the process of ending the war.
Vance responded that the reporting was “not reflective of the conversations that I’ve had with him, but maybe he’s saying something to somebody else that he’s not saying to me.” He then went on to call out Netanyahu’s cabinet officials who, he said, have been critical, and in some cases defiant, of Trump over his negotiations with Iran.
“Trump’s agreement does not bind us. Israel is not subject to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign nation!” Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir said, according to a translation X provided of a post on social media.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the deal “is bad for Israel and for the entire free world,” adding, “we will have to continue the campaign to topple the regime ourselves and in creative ways, and ensure that Iran will never have nuclear weapons.”
Israel’s targeting of Hezbollah in Lebanon has been a point of tension during negotiations with Iran, sometimes breaking ceasefires and jeopardizing the openness of the Strait of Hormuz. Israel has also killed negotiators from Iran in the past in the middle of talks.
Israeli attacks in Lebanon have reportedly resulted in tense phone calls between Trump and Netanyahu, in which Trump has reportedly said his Israeli counterpart has “no f-cking judgement” during the negotiating process.
Nonetheless, Smotrich has vowed Israel will continue its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, no matter the wishes of the Trump administration.
“This is our war, our fighters, and the immediate security of our northern residents,” Smotrich said. “I will continue to work to ensure we stand firm and allow the [military] full freedom of action to continue pushing Hezbollah back.”
As The Federalist reported, Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon is not a condition of the MOU, which includes a “one-way ceasefire … meaning that if Iran is not able to control Hezbollah, and if they attack … Israel will have the right to defend themselves and respond.”
In a moment reminiscent of Vance’s takedown of Volodymyr Zelensky, when he asked the Ukrainian president whether he had ever thanked the United States for propping up his country, Vance issued a stern reminder to members of the Israeli cabinet: “Over the last three months, two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars. The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump, and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in.”
