US VP Vance says he is staying out of Israel vote as Trump backs Netanyahu

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>US Vice President JD Vance said he would not be following Donald Trump in endorsing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and wanted to stay on the sidelines.</p> <p>“I’m not anti-endorsing him. I’m not pro-endorsing him. I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” Vance said of Netanyahu, in an interview on Monday with journalist Mark Halperin.</p> <p>“I endorse American candidates and that’s where I’m focused on is the (US) midterms,” he added.</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/clashreport/status/2112311397698654296'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/2112311397698654296"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> <p>Trump on Sunday <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2038051">issued a public endorsement</a> of his right-wing ally Netanyahu, who is seeking a new term as premier in Israel’s Oct 27 parliamentary election.</p> <p>Vance’s reticence to weigh in on the Israeli vote contrasts with his approach to <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1989656">European elections</a>.</p> <p>Days before Hungary’s parliamentary election in April, he flew to Budapest to support then-prime minister <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1991135">Viktor Orban</a>, another right-wing figure.</p> <p>He has also voiced support for Germany’s <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1895140">far-right AfD party</a>, whose leader, <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1361001">Alice Weidel</a>, he met last year.</p> <figure class='media w-full sm:w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/1895140'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1895140" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> <p>Vance, who is widely viewed as aiming to succeed Trump in 2029, reportedly expressed opposition to launching the US-Israeli war with Iran, but has since defended the campaign.</p> <p>The vice president also had notably strong words for Israeli officials who criticised a short-lived US-Iran <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2008018">ceasefire agreement</a> in June.</p> <p>“Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment,” he said at the time.</p> <p>“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,” he added.</p> This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.