Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. and Israel do not always share aligned interests, underscoring reported strains between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a snippet released on Wednesday for a “CBS Sunday Morning” interview, to be aired on June 14, Vance acknowledged that although Israel has been a steadfast and close ally of the U.S, their interests are “misaligned” many times.
He depicted Netanyahu as a leader who “assertively champions the interests of his nation,” and noted that Trump has been explicit about what serves America’s best interest.
“Sometimes that means we’re in agreement and sometimes it means that we’re not,” Vance stated.
When questioned about Netanyahu’s stance towards the U.S. on Iran, Vance conceded that the Prime Minister has made some missteps, but refrained from providing details.
“He’s certainly gotten some things wrong,” said Vance.
Despite these issues, the Vice President confirmed that the U.S. will persist in its collaboration with Israel, but will prioritize its own national interests when they diverge.
Widening U.S.-Israel Rift?
The comments from Vance come after Netanyahu’s Likud party confirmed his re-election bid and expects the Prime Minister to win, though the vote has not yet been officially scheduled and must be held by October. Meanwhile, ABC News’ Jonathan Karl reported that Trump said he was unsure whether Netanyahu would seek another term, calling his career “amazing” and questioning whether he would continue.
Earlier this month, Trump confirmed that he told Netanyahu he was “effing crazy” during a call over Israel’s continued strikes in Lebanon, which frustrated U.S. efforts to de-escalate the conflict. He said he was only “a little bit perturbed,” not angry, and that he maintains a strong relationship with the Israeli Prime Minister and urged him to “stop this” fighting. Notably, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire soon after.
However, despite Trump’s repeated efforts to stop Netanyahu from escalating the conflict, Israel struck a petrochemical facility in Iran on Monday, marking the first attack on the country’s energy infrastructure since the April ceasefire.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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