US Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, US, June 20, 2025. Phone: REUTERS/Daniel Cole

US Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday that the United States cannot allow its Middle East policy to become “subservient to the State of Israel,” arguing that American foreign policy should ultimately serve American interests.

“[We have] a lot of important relationships, a lot of important partnerships in NATO, but that doesn’t mean we’re gonna completely make our European foreign policy subservient to NATO, in the same way that we cannot let our Middle Eastern foreign policy be subservient to the State of Israel,” he said at a gathering in Los Angeles.

Vance made the comments while speaking at a conference organized by the “All-In” podcast. In his remarks, Vance simultaneously highlighted why Israel remains such an important US partner, noting the mutually beneficial nature of the partnership.

“Obviously Israel has been an important partner when it comes to military technology, when it comes to intelligence sharing, but also sometimes the United States doesn’t … agree with Israel.”

Notably, Vance did not call for weakening the US-Israel alliance or reducing American support for Israel. Instead, the vice president described a relationship in which two sovereign allies can cooperate closely while maintaining the ability to disagree.

However, Vance specifically praised US President Donald Trump for being willing to break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the administration believes American and Israeli interests diverge.

“I think that more than frankly any president in the last 40 years, he has shown a willingness to actually part ways with Bibi Netanyahu when he feels like the interests of the American people are different from the interests of the government of Israel,” he said, using Netanyahu’s nickname.

Vance has repeatedly argued that a strong alliance between the two nations does not necessarily require the United States and Israel to have identical policies on every issue. Israel itself has long maintained an independent foreign and defense policy, while successive American administrations have periodically disagreed with Israeli governments.

On Tuesday, Vance invoked NATO to make the same point, arguing that the US should maintain its relationship with the alliance without feeling beholden to its policy preferences.

“We’re gonna work with people when we work with them. We’re gonna disagree when we disagree. And we’re gonna pursue America’s interests,” Vance said.

The comments were delivered against the backdrop of the Trump administration announcing a major new arms proposal with Israel. The administration is preparing a proposed $2.8 billion weapons sale to Israel, according to US officials, involving 40,000 2,000-pound bombs. The proposal has been reported as including 20,000 MK-84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, arms which were previously blocked by the Biden administration. The sale has not yet been finalized.

Vance’s comments were reminiscent of a recent discussion he held during a Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) event. During that discussion, Vance repudiated antisemitism and also affirmed his belief that Israel remains a critical ally. However, skeptics pointed out that he avoided leveling any pointed criticisms toward antisemitic podcaster Tucker Carlson.

Vance also referred to Israel as “one of our most important alliances in the world and certainly our most important regional alliance.”

“We’re going to continue to work together. And again, I think the most important thing is to say that there are alignments of interest across a whole host of issues,” he also said.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee struck a different tone in a separate interview, arguing that the US has never acted in favor of Israel against its own “interests.”

“Our relationship to Israel is not built upon the next election; it’s built upon our mutual interest,” Huckabee said in an interview with the Israeli news outlet Ynet.

As Vance continues to move toward an expected bid for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, conservative Jews have raised concerns over the vice president’s close relationship with Carlson and his tempered support for Israel. Carlson, a former Fox News host, has spent the past three years spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories, platforming Holocaust minimizers, and accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza. Vance has not only refused to repudiate Carlson but also publicly defended the podcaster and argued that he represents a valuable part of the conservative coalition.

The vice president has similarly come under fire from some pro-Israel voices in recent months for vocally criticizing the long-time US ally at times and expressing support for a more isolationist foreign policy that approaches alliances as transactional rather than built on deeper, more enduring foundations such as shared values.

However, despite Vance’s soft support for Israel, polls repeatedly indicate that the Republican electorate overwhelmingly sympathizes with the Jewish state.