Vice President JD Vance called for the US and Israeli relationship to be maintained at a private event. The Vice President’s mild criticisms of Israel have resulted in attacks from the Israel lobby and its supporters. 

“There is a growing suspicion among, I would call it, under-40s of the US-Israel relationship,” Vance said at the Republican Jewish Coalition on Monday. “I think my view is, what we have to do is articulate why this is in the best interest of the United States of America, and actually get out there and talk about the ways in which it is in the best interest of the United States of America.”

He continued that Republicans must “talk about the concrete alignment of interest and to hook a relationship on that.” Politico obtained the audio of the speech. Republican Senator Jim Banks said the Vice President’s speech was well received. 

Vance’s appearance at the RJC event came as a surprise, as the Vice President has issued some mild criticisms of Israel. His attendance at the event could be an effort from Vance to shore up pro-Israeli support as he is considering a Presidential run in 2028. 

During an interview with Joe Rogan earlier this year, Vance said that Israel was undermining US negotiations with Iran. “There’s a lot of talk about how much the Israeli government is influencing American politics,”  the Vice President explained on the Joe Rogan Experience Wednesday. “There are certainly certain people within the Israeli government who hate the deal. And we see exact evidence.”

“There are some people within their system, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely.” He added, “Not toward any objective, but just indefinitely.”

However, Vance has also defended the war against Iran. In the interview with Rogan, he claimed the war was legal and moral. The Vice President additionally told the American people that the US has achieved its objectives in the conflict.