JD Vance Issues New Warning To Israel

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the United States should treat Israel as an important partner without making American policy in the Middle East “subservient” to the Israeli government.

Vance spoke by videoconference with All-In Podcast co-host Jason Calacanis at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles. The exchange covered the U.S.-Israel relationship, President Donald Trump’s dealings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and criticism from some on the American right that Washington has been too closely aligned with Jerusalem.

“Obviously Israel has been an important partner when it comes to military technology, when it comes to intelligence sharing, but also sometimes the United States doesn’t always agree with Israel,” Vance said. He further stated that all alliances should be rooted in American interests. “Rooting this relationship, like all relationships, in America’s interest is the way to actually have a rational conversation here.”

Vance said Trump has been more willing than other recent presidents to differ with Netanyahu when the two countries’ priorities diverge. “I think that more than frankly any president in the last 40 years, he has shown a willingness to actually part ways with Bibi Netanyahu when he feels like the interests of the American people are different from the interests of the government of Israel,” the vice president continued.

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Let’s all take a moment to actually watch this exchange in full, where the VP was specifically asked about Israel.

Q: JD, before we wrap here, I want to ask you another hard question. This one about our relationship with the state of Israel and the president's relationship… https://t.co/mvGI0RFc8A pic.twitter.com/tbHwS0XHpq

— Taylor Van Kirk (@VPCommsDir) September 16, 2026

He went on to note that Trump has laid out a different path for American interests, which are not always aligned with Israeli interests, throughout his presidency. “Donald Trump is the one president of the last 40 years who’s been willing to say, ‘You know what? Yeah, Bibi’s a good partner, but also Bibi and I have a different opinion on this, or Bibi’s wrong about this, or maybe Bibi’s right about this from the perspective of Israel, but the American people need us to go in a different direction.’”

Vance also called it “a little ironic” that some Democrats criticize Trump’s relationship with Netanyahu, given that record of disagreement.

He went on to emphasize that the same principles apply to any alliance between the United States and a foreign power. “There are obviously a lot of important relationships, a lot of important partnerships in NATO, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to completely make our European foreign policy subservient to NATO in the same way that we cannot let our Middle Eastern foreign policy be subservient to the State of Israel,” Vance said. “We’re going to work with people when we work with them. We’re going to disagree when we disagree, and we’re going to pursue America’s interests. That’s the only way to have a rational foreign policy.”

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