US Vice President JD Vance told the New York Times that he senses a peculiar panic inside the Israeli system, where officials assume that anything being discussed that could harm Israel will happen — without Iran having to change its behavior. Vance said he finds the hysteria strange and rooted in a lack of trust, arguing the US has earned the region's trust. In the interview, Vance also criticized Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, stating that a nation of nine million people cannot simply 'kill its way out' of national security problems.
In a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times published Thursday, US Vice President JD Vance both defended the emerging US-Iran agreement and directly addressed Israeli domestic opposition to it. Vance described what he called a 'strange panic' within the Israeli security establishment, where officials assume worst-case outcomes are inevitable even if Iran makes no concessions. He attributed this to a 'lack of trust' and insisted Washington has earned the region's trust through years of support for Israel. The vice president then turned on Israeli coalition figures, specifically attacking Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who have led public criticism of the deal. 'What exactly is your proposal?' Vance asked rhetorically, adding that 'you can't just kill your way out of every national security problem.' The remarks escalate an already tense back-and-forth between the Trump administration and Israeli hardliners over the terms of the Iran accord. As The Zioneer reported earlier Thursday, Vance had already described an atmosphere of 'peculiar panic' in Israel; this latest report extends his critique to the political leadership. The full text of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding has not yet been published, and Israel's official position remains publicly opposed. The interview marks the most direct public questioning of Israeli coalition policy by a senior US administration figure since the deal was initialed.
2 developments
- ConfirmedVance challenges Ben Gvir and Smotrich: 'You can't kill your way out of every problem'
- StrongVance: Many in Israel satisfied with emerging US-Iran deal
- StrongVance: 'Our money protected you. Trump? He's not your problem — wake up'
- StrongUS VP Vance says Netanyahu 'got something wrong,' signals daylight in Washington
Source and signal
- Internal intake