Vance refuses to endorse Netanyahu after Trump nod – despite backing foreign leader last year

Trump offered his full endorsement for Netanyahu, but Vance refuses to back the Israeli leader ahead of the general election, despite having previously campaigned for a foreign leader.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel’s upcoming parliamentary election, breaking with President Donald Trump’s public backing of the Israeli leader just days before voters head to the polls.

Speaking to journalist Mark Halperin during an interview on Monday, Vance said he would remain neutral in Israel’s October 27 election, emphasizing that his political priorities lie with American candidates ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.

“The president has the most effective endorsement in American or international political history,” Vance said, referring to Trump’s support for Netanyahu.

“I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on in the midterms. So I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections.”

Pressed on whether his refusal to endorse Netanyahu should be interpreted as opposition to the prime minister, Vance rejected both positions.

“I’m not anti-endorsing him. I’m not pro-endorsing him. I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” he said.

The comments came one day after Trump announced his “Complete and Total Endorsement” of Netanyahu in a lengthy statement on Truth Social, praising the prime minister’s leadership and his cooperation with Washington in confronting Iran.

“Bibi Netanyahu has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combating the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote.

The president also warned that Netanyahu’s defeat could complicate American efforts to confront Tehran, suggesting that Washington would be left to act without the same level of Israeli cooperation.

“If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi,” Trump wrote, “America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so.”

Netanyahu welcomed the endorsement, thanking Trump for his support and pledging to continue working with Washington against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“Israel has never had a greater friend in the White House,” Netanyahu declared.

Vance’s decision to remain neutral is notable given his previous involvement in foreign elections. In April, the vice president traveled to Hungary to campaign alongside then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who subsequently lost his bid for reelection.

The vice president has also expressed disagreements with elements of Netanyahu’s government over its approach to Iran, particularly regarding efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict.

During a July appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Vance accused factions within the Israeli government of attempting to influence American public opinion to undermine diplomatic negotiations with Tehran.

“There are some people within their system that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely,” Vance said.

The remarks reportedly contributed to tensions between Vance and Netanyahu, although the vice president later denied that a subsequent meeting between the two had been confrontational.

“He didn’t confront me. We had a nice and frank conversation,” Vance said in August, acknowledging that differences sometimes arise between Washington and its allies.

His latest comments also come amid growing divisions within the American conservative movement over US policy toward Israel and the war with Iran. Vance has faced questions from some Jewish Republicans over his approach to Israel, while also maintaining relationships with prominent conservative figures who have criticized American support for the Jewish state.

Last month, the vice president addressed a private gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas, where he reportedly received a favorable reception despite declining to explicitly repudiate conservative commentator Tucker Carlson.