Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reelection bid, breaking from President Donald Trump just a day after Trump publicly backed the embattled Israeli leader. Vance said his attention is on American politics, not Israel's upcoming vote. “I endorse American candidates, and that's where I'm focused on in the midterms. So I'm not getting involved in Israeli elections,” he said.
Vance made the remarks during an interview with journalist Mark Halperin, according to Politico, which first reported that Vance declined to follow Trump's lead on Netanyahu's fiercely contested campaign. Vance was careful to frame his position as neutral rather than critical. “I'm not anti-endorsing him. I'm not pro-endorsing him. I'm not getting involved in Israeli elections,” he said, according to the outlet.
The comments came a day after Trump endorsed Netanyahu, a detail confirmed by KSAT, which also reported Vance's remark that the president has “the most effective endorsement in American or international political history.” Trump told Axios he backed Netanyahu because the two have a good relationship and would, in his words, “continue to do well” together if Netanyahu wins reelection, according to the Axios report.
A Tight Race in Israel
Netanyahu is up for reelection on Oct. 27, and recent polling shows him trailing former IDF chief-of-staff Gadi Eisenkot, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. A Times of Israel poll taken Oct. 14-15 projected the bloc of parties opposing Netanyahu would win 54 Knesset seats compared with 49 for his pro-Netanyahu bloc, with neither side reaching the 61 seats needed for a majority. That same survey had Eisenkot's Yashar party winning 26 seats, six more than Netanyahu's Likud.
KSAT reported Vance's decision not to endorse Netanyahu.
Not His First Foreign Campaign Stop
Vance's hands-off posture on Israel's election stands in some contrast to his past involvement overseas. He had previously campaigned in Hungary for then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Politico noted, even as he now says he doesn't want to wade into foreign elections. Orbán went on to concede defeat in Hungary's April parliamentary elections after partial results showed the opposition Tisza party securing a majority, according to Xinhua.
Vance Turns Back to the Midterms
Vance's remarks on Netanyahu came as he was already deep into midterm campaign mode. He visited western North Carolina on Monday to rally support for two Republican candidates ahead of the November elections, according to WLOS. He appeared alongside Jennifer Balkcom, who is running for North Carolina's 11th Congressional District, and Michael Whatley, who is seeking the state's open U.S. Senate seat, at a rally in Hendersonville.
During that stop, Vance addressed taxes, immigration, border security and crime in North Carolina, the station reported. As reported by KABB, Vance declined to endorse Netanyahu for reelection.
