Vance: We cannot let our Mideast foreign policy be subservient to Israel

US Vice President JD Vance says Washington can’t let its “Middle Eastern foreign policy be subservient to the State of Israel.”

Speaking to a a conference organized by the All-In Podcast, Vance says of US-Israel ties: “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.

“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,” Vance says, using Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nickname.

“Donald Trump is the one president of the last 40 years who’s been willing to say ‘You know what, yeah Bibi’s a good partner, but also Bibi and I have a different opinion on this,’ or ‘Bibi’s wrong about this,’ or maybe ‘Bibi’s right about this from the perspective of Israel, but the American people need us to go in a different direction.'”

Vance argues that “rooting this relationship, like all relationships, in America’s interest is the way to actually have a rational conversation here.”

The vice president says this is true for NATO as well.

“[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.

“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. That’s the only way to have a rational foreign policy.”