vice president J.D. Vance emphasized Wednesday that U.S. officials They were not keen to oversee a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and that Israel was a partner rather than a “vassal state” as questions arose over next steps in the Middle East.
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahuwho has hosted a number of senior US officials in recent days, exchanged words of friendship and optimism with Vance at a joint news conference in Jerusalem as Washington worked to secure truce brokered by President Donald Trump will endure.
“I never said it was easy, but I am optimistic that the ceasefire will hold and that we can truly build a better future throughout the Middle East,” Vance said, speaking alongside Netanyahu.
The Vice President's visit followed arrival Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was expected to follow him on Thursday and meet with Netanyahu on Friday, the Israeli government said.
The Vice President and the Israeli leader supported each other's efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement that came into force October 10.
But as a number of US officials flocked to Israel this week after outbreaks of violence While threatening to undermine the ceasefire, Vance also appeared to be seeking to reassure the Israeli leader—and the world—that the United States had no intention of violating the ceasefire.
“We don't want a vassal state, and that's not what Israel is. We don't want a satellite state,” he said. “We want partnership.”
Later in the week, he clarified the American role in Israel as the ceasefire looked fragile and the path to a second phase of the agreement seemed uncertain.
It wasn't about “monitoring in the sense that you're watching a baby. It's about monitoring in the sense that there's a lot of work, a lot of good people doing that work, and it's important that the principles of the administration continue to ensure that our people are doing what we need them to do,” Vance said.
The planned international security force in Gaza appears to be a major question mark, with some in Israel concerned that such a force could limit its freedom to operate in Gaza in the future.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday that “many of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East and the areas surrounding the Middle East” have “clearly and decisively, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to enter the Gaza Strip with heavy forces.”
He added that he “told these countries and Israel, 'NO YET,'” but warned that unless Hamas “does what's right” or violates the ceasefire agreement, the militant group could meet a “FAST, FURIOUS AND VIOLENT” end.
The president did not directly mention the deployment of international security forces, which he envisions will enter Gaza to help maintain peace in the territory in the future under his 20-point plan, but appeared to refer to the initiative.
Vance said Tuesday that the international stabilization force envisioned by the president is still in the early stages of planning as he acknowledged that coordinating troops from different countries could be challenging.
