Friend or foe: What is J.D. Vance's stance on Israel?
The newly minted Republican vice presidential candidate has a history of vocal support for Israel, but some questions remain about his stance on antisemitism.
J.D. Vance, the freshman senator from Ohio chosen by Donald Trump as his running mate for the upcoming presidential election, has a long record of public statements about Israel. The 39-year-old has weighed in on topics ranging from the Oct. 7 attacks and US aid to Israel, to campus protests in America, Iran's missile strikes, antisemitism, and why Israel must defeat Hamas militarily even if it can't defeat it as an idea.
Following Trump's announcement on Monday, we've taken a closer look at whether the man polls suggest will be America's next vice president is a friend or a foe.
"You're never going to defeat the ideology of Hamas"
On Oct. 7, Vance tweeted, "Praying for our friends in Israel this morning. Just an awful situation." Later, he posted again, "As we watch this horrible situation in Israel unfold, Americans must face a stark truth: our tax dollars funded this. Money is fungible, and many of the dollars we sent to Iran are being used to now kill innocent people. This must stop. Israel has every right to defend itself. I wish our friends well, but most of all I wish they weren't fighting against weapons bought with our money. "
On Oct. 19, Vance co-authored an op-ed in The Hill with Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts titled "Don't hold up Israel aid to further Ukraine War funding," calling on the administration to assist Israel promptly. The article stated, "The United States' closest ally and strategic partner in the Middle East is well equipped to respond to this escalating war and defend its people, but military support from the US will be necessary in the coming weeks... Israel is a democratic, historic US partner and key ally in the Middle East."
During Iran's missile attack on April 14, he wrote, "Praying for the people of Israel, and especially some very good friends. May God keep them safe."
In recent months, he has repeatedly criticized anti-Israel protesters on university campuses. On May 6, he tweeted, "The people funding and training the BLM riots of 2020 are doing the same with the anti-Israel protests in 2024," that is, setting America on fire. Vance even proposed legislation to cut off federal funding to colleges and universities that don't prevent such protests on their campuses. In another statement, he said the US should target organizations funding these demonstrations.
In an interview with CNN in May, Vance argued that Washington should not be dictating to Jerusalem how it should be fighting against Hamas.
"I think that our attitude vis-a-vis the Israelis should be, look, we're not good at micromanaging Middle Eastern wars, the Israelis are our allies, let them prosecute this war the way they see fit," he said, acknowledging that "Palestinian civilian casualties [are] a real issue." Nevertheless, he said Hamas was responsible for them and that the only solution to addressing the high reported death toll in Gaza is by dismantling Hamas as "a viable military organization."
"You're never going to defeat the ideology of Hamas, but you can root out those commanders, those final military-trained battalions, and I think you should empower the Israelis to do it," Vance said.
Antisemitism policy in question
In 2022, Vance visited Israel and was photographed at the Western Wall wearing a kippah. He tweeted about the visit, "Incredible to walk around Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel, and trace the footsteps of Christ today."
That same year, he spoke out against antisemitism in an interview with The Jerusalem Post, "If you beat up a Jew and don't face consequences, the attacks will continue and get worse." However, he did not join as co-sponsor of a bipartisan bill to combat antisemitism signed by both Republican and Democratic senators last April, nor did he support the proposal requiring the Department of Education to define most expressions of anti-Zionism as antisemitism.
In the past, he promoted the "replacement theory," which is falsely
claimed to be a Jewish plan to replace white Americans with minority
groups, though it's important to note that Vance did not mention Jews in
this context. Overall, this is an area where Vance rarely comments, so
we'll have to wait and see what he does on this issue if and when
elected.
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