Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent recent days trying to ease tensions with the White House and make clear that hostile posts by cabinet ministers about President Donald Trump’s decisions do not reflect his own position, according to a report Thursday on KAN News.
The effort comes after criticism of Trump has become more personal and has echoed some of the debate inside the United States. The report said Netanyahu previously responded to conduct by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir by saying he was the one “holding the steering wheel,” but the latest rift has widened beyond domestic politics.
The sharpest response came from U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who warned that Israel could end up alone in the world without American support. In a White House briefing on Thursday, Vance criticized the cabinet ministers and said, “If I were a minister in Israel, I would not attack the only ally I have in the world.”
Vance also said that since the start of the war “Rage of the Lion,” two-thirds of the weapons that defended Israel were developed in the United States and funded by American taxpayers. “Anyone who thinks Israel’s problem is Donald Trump needs to wake up,” he said. He added that he and Trump are in near-daily contact with Netanyahu and members of the Israeli government, and that Trump has been “very clear” he is not denying Israel its right to self-defense. Still, Vance said, “the Israelis, like all parties, must respect this peace process.”
