Vance Sidesteps Netanyahu Endorsement Despite Trump's Backing — SkimNews
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- JD Vance declined to endorse Netanyahu in a Monday interview with Mark Halperin, saying "I'm not getting involved in Israeli elections" and preferring to focus on US midterms.
- Vance's comments came one day after Donald Trump explicitly endorsed Netanyahu ahead of the October 27 Israeli elections.
- Vance last backed a foreign leader in April when he endorsed Hungary's Victor Orban, who then lost in a landslide to Peter Magyar.
- Vance told Netanyahu's cabinet in June amid Israeli opposition to an Iran ceasefire that Israel "can't just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem," and warned against alienating Trump, whom he called Israel's "only powerful ally."
- The Yashar party of former military chief Gadi Eisenkot leads Likud in polls ahead of the October 27 vote, with Eisenkot seeking to build an opposition bloc.
- Trump has cultivated close ties with Netanyahu over two terms, including moving the US embassy to West Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights, and withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Why it matters: The Trump-Vance divergence on Netanyahu—coming days before Israel's October 27 vote and amid Republican discontent over unconditional Israel support—reveals daylight within the GOP's foreign policy posture. Polls show Likud trailing Yashar, and with the vice president sitting out, Netanyahu loses a potential endorsement from a 2028 White House contender.
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