"Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the world who sympathizes with the nation of Israel at this moment. If I were in the Israeli government's cabinet, maybe I wouldn't attack the only powerful ally I have left in the world." With these harsh words, United States Vice President JD Vance concluded a press conference at the White House on Thursday. Another reprimand to Israel and its leadership after the harsh criticisms and complaints in recent days following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Tehran to end the war in Iran.
Over the past 10 days, the Administration has repeatedly sent messages to its main partner in the Middle East, calling its leaders to order, setting boundaries, and expressing its frustration. Much of this has been through Axios, a small American media outlet, which published, for example, Trump's outbursts: "What the hell are you doing? You're damn crazy, you'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your ass. Everyone hates Israel for this", uttered during a phone conversation between them. But today, the Trump administration used Vice President Vance to once again call for order.
Vance, uncomfortable, trying to square the circle, insisted that what Trump had agreed upon is the best possible solution, despite the huge criticisms within Republican ranks or the MAGA world, who are surprised or dismayed to see that their worst fears and what had been leaked for months were true. An incomplete agreement that does not give any advantage to the United States, does not secure better concessions than those in place when Trump broke the 2015 agreement signed by Obama, and will allow Tehran to benefit from the lifting of sanctions.
"If the Iranians do not change their behavior, their army and their nuclear program will continue to be destroyed. If they change their behavior, then they will have a transformative relationship with the Middle East, and the Middle East will have a transformative relationship with the people of Iran. That would be a victory for the American people and for the President of the United States, regardless of the option ultimately chosen by the Iranians," defended Vance from the White House press room before heading to Switzerland, along with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to meet, if all goes well, this weekend with the Iranians and the Pakistani and Qatari mediators, although he admitted that the exact date is still up in the air.
Throughout his media appearance, Vance made repeated mentions and jabs at Israel and what is happening in Lebanon. Emphasizing, for example, some of the most sensitive points for Tel Aviv, such as Tehran's right to possess weapons and ballistic missiles, just like its neighbors. "It's very simple: you can't tell a country, whether it's Israel or Iran, that they don't have the right to self-defense. That's not what the president has asked for, that's not what the president has requested, but as part of the final agreement, what we want to see is that Iran does not fund regional instability, nor regional terrorism, and of course, does not attempt to rebuild its nuclear arsenal," he pointed out while responding to criticisms about an agreement that, in fact, does not resolve the nuclear issue and will serve to lift economic sanctions and potentially facilitate access to hundreds of billions of dollars for reconstruction after the attacks.
"Israel has the right to defend itself, but, like everyone else, they must respect this peace process that is fundamentally good for them and for the entire region. What sometimes frustrates the president is that we seem to be on the verge of a major breakthrough in the agreement, and suddenly there is a major explosion in a civilian population center in Beirut, and many people unrelated to Hezbollah lose their lives. That is unacceptable," Vance said.
But it was at the end of his intervention, after emphasizing that the current agreement has nothing to do with the one from Obama in 2015, downplaying the lifting of oil sanctions, and saying that it is worth trying a change in strategy, that Vance was much more forceful.
When asked about an article from the mentioned media outlet and the possible irritation of Netanyahu, the vice president exonerated the prime minister but pointed directly at some of his government. "I saw the Axios article that Netanyahu is furious. That does not reflect the conversations I have had with him, but maybe he is telling something to someone else that he is not telling me. What I will say, and this concerns me, is that we have seen people within Bibi's cabinet come out to attack the agreement, and in a way, they have personally attacked the President of the United States."
It was then that Vance emphasized that right now Trump "is the only head of state in the world who sympathizes with the nation of Israel" and warned them to contain their criticisms, especially in public, because they seem to be living in a parallel reality. "The second message I would give to some of those cabinet members, because Bibi, it must be acknowledged, has not taken that path, is that in the last three months, two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected their homeland have been manufactured by American hands and paid for with American taxpayers' money. Israel's problem is not Donald J. Trump, and anyone in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the President of the United States needs to wake up and realize the reality of the situation their country is in," a clear reminder of how Israel's actions currently have little support from Washington, but from no one else. And they could lose it.