Yedioth Ahronoth: Israel Shocked by Vance's Attack and Preferred Silence

Translation by SadaNews - The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Friday that Israel was shocked by the extent of the attack and criticisms directed at it by U.S. Vice President JD Vance during the conference held on Thursday evening.

According to the newspaper, as translated by SadaNews, Israel preferred not to respond or react emotionally, noting that the decision was made because it (Israel) does not wish to widen the gap with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly in recent days.

The newspaper pointed out that most senior Israeli military leaders oppose the agreement with Iran, yet Netanyahu refrains from publicly expressing his opposition, perhaps believing that a final agreement is not possible and that all that is required now is to wait. It is also possible that he sees the next opportunity to act against Iran only after the upcoming U.S. congressional midterm elections in November.

It was mentioned that the current situation is limited to directing the Israeli army to prepare for operations in Iran only.

The newspaper indicated that the real reason behind this silence is that Israel intends to adhere to its red lines in Lebanon.

Israel opposes withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and it is understood that pressure on it to reduce its military operations in various arenas will increase, and it must not retreat. According to the newspaper, as translated by SadaNews.

The newspaper stated that those in Israel were surprised by the intensity of Vance's criticisms, as well as by the implicit threats of imposing a weapons ban.

An Israeli source familiar with the details said: "Vance is simply telling Netanyahu, 'Get a grip on your ministers, you won't get away with this quietly, and it embarrasses him... Vance did the same thing with the Europeans, the Germans, and NATO... This is his vision of the world... It reflects the prevailing current in the Republican Party, which today holds the majority, where most of the campaign budgets go to evangelicals because we’re losing them too.'"

The source added: "Netanyahu has issued a direct challenge to Trump and Vance... We need to ask ourselves how we reached this situation where we are even losing support from the Americans."

In the press conference, Vance stated that his message to members of the Israeli government is "twofold. First, Donald Trump is the only leader in the world currently showing sympathy for Israel... If I were a member of the Israeli government, I wouldn't attack the only strong ally I have left in the world... The second message is: In the past few months, I have made two-thirds of the defenses that protected your homeland with American hands and funded by American taxpayers... Israel's problem is not Donald Trump, and anyone in Israel who thinks so should realize the reality this country is living... It was built with our money."

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir responded saying: "This is my suggestion, Vance: Deal with the Nazis in the 21st century, just as the United States dealt with the Nazis in the 20th century."

Meanwhile, Minister Miki Zohar of the Likud party was the first to respond to Vance's statements, saying, "The intelligence we provide to the United States has saved countless lives of American citizens, and the technologies developed in Israel serve the U.S. military above all else, and the partnership between Israel and the United States is vital for the free world."