U.S. Vice President JD Vance reiterated that he is not backing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, setting his public position apart from President Donald Trump’s support ahead of Israel’s election.
Anadolu reported that Vance made the remarks at a news conference in Cincinnati on Oct. 21, referring to an earlier interview. “I’m not attacking Bibi Netanyahu. I’m not endorsing Bibi Netanyahu,” Vance said, according to the outlet.
In an Oct. 19 interview with journalist Mark Halperin on 2WAY Tonight, Vance said his attention was on U.S. midterm candidates and that he would not take part in Israel’s election. He said that choice did not signal support for or opposition to Netanyahu. EconoTimes previously covered Vance’s earlier decision to stay out of the contest.
Trump endorsed Netanyahu in a Truth Social post on Oct. 18. The Associated Press reported that Trump had held back from formally backing Netanyahu for months amid policy disagreements. Netanyahu has promoted his relationship with Trump to voters, and Trump has supported him in previous Israeli elections, the AP reported.
Israel’s election is scheduled for Oct. 27.
