US vice president says US Mideast policy cannot be 'subservient' to Israel
JD Vance says Washington will work with Israel when interests align, disagree when they do not
Busra Nur Cakmak
16 September 2026•Update: 16 September 2026
ANKARA
US Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday that the US does not always agree with Israel, stressing that Washington cannot allow its Middle East foreign policy to be "subservient to the state of Israel."
Speaking on the "All-In Podcast" on YouTube, Vance said that President Donald Trump acknowledged Israel’s importance as a partner in military technology and intelligence sharing but he said Washington sometimes disagrees with Israel.
Vance said Trump, "more than, frankly, any president in the last 40 years," has shown "a willingness to actually part ways with Bibi Netanyahu when he feels like the interests of the American people are different than the interests of the government of Israel."
Pointing to Washington's relationships with NATO members, Vance said the US has "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,” he added.
