Vance says Trump is ready to diverge from Netanyahu — Jerusalem Post
In the United States, Vice President J.D. Vance said during a virtual appearance at the Los Angeles-based All-In technology summit that President Donald Trump is prepared to diverge from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when U.S. interests differ from those of the Israeli government. The Jerusalem Post reports.
Vance's statement
According to Vance, Trump has demonstrated such willingness more often than any U.S. president over the past 40 years. He called Netanyahu a good partner but noted that Washington and Jerusalem may assess certain issues differently, and that the United States must act in the interests of Americans.
Vance also said that Israel is an important U.S. partner in military technology and intelligence sharing, but the countries do not always agree. He stressed that U.S. policy in the Middle East should not be subordinated to Israel.
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Context and reaction
The vice president's comments came ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November. The publication cites the results of a March Pew Research Center poll: 60% of adult Americans viewed Israel negatively, while 59% were not confident in how Netanyahu conducts world affairs. Both figures increased by seven percentage points.
The Jerusalem Post writes that significant disagreements emerged between Washington and Jerusalem after the shared U.S. and Israeli objectives in the war against Iran failed. Among them, the publication names the U.S. decision to end the war without a clear plan to block Iran's path to nuclear weapons, as well as its consent to a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia without requiring it to normalize relations with Israel.
Vance's remarks were criticized by some supporters of Israel in the United States. Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that U.S. foreign policy should not be subordinated to any country and asked why the vice president singled out Israel. Heather Johnston, founder of the US Israel Education Association, accused Vance of trying to gain political points among Israel's opponents. Vance's communications director, Taylor Van Kirk, responded by publishing the full exchange.
