Vance declines to endorse Netanyahu ahead of Israeli election

U.S. Vice President JD Vance has declined to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, days after President Donald Trump backed his reelection bid in next week’s election.

Speaking on Mark Halperin’s 2WAY Tonight, Vance said: “The president has the most effective endorsement in American or international political history.” He added: “I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on in the midterms.”

According to CNBC, Vance said he was not criticising Netanyahu. “I’m not anti-endorsing him. I’m not pro-endorsing him,” he said, adding that “I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections.”

The stance differs from Trump, who on Sunday praised Netanyahu on Truth Social as “a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combating the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Vance campaigned in Budapest in April to endorse then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was later voted out after 16 years in power.

The vote will be Israel’s first national election since Hamas attacked Israel in late 2023.