U.S. Vice President JD Vance holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on June 18, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
U.S. Vice President JD Vance lashed out at members of Israel’s government, saying that the country is deeply isolated and its leaders have failed to appreciate American diplomatic and military support.
The comments deepened a rift that has emerged between the two allies over the interim deal reached by the United States and Iran to end their war.
“Donald J Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” Mr. Vance said during a news briefing at the White House on Thursday (June 18, 2026).
“The problem for Israel is not Donald J Trump, and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the President of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in.” Israel and the U.S. jointly launched the war against Iran on Feb 28, closely coordinating the more than monthlong military operation.
Israel’s far right on U.S.-Iran deal
But disagreements quickly emerged following a preliminary April 8 ceasefire agreement, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushing to continue the campaign and Mr. Trump moving to wind down a war that was deeply unpopular in the U.S. and rattled the global economy.
While Mr. Netanyahu has been careful not to openly criticise this week’s ceasefire deal, some members of his Cabinet have been more outspoken.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who leads a small ultranationalist party, this week declared that Israel is not “bound” by Mr. Trump’s agreement and said it would not cave in to international pressure.
Mr. Vance noted that Mr. Netanyahu has not publicly criticised Mr. Trump, but he accused unnamed members of Mr. Netanyahu’s Cabinet of being ungrateful. He said Israel has few friends in the international community and protected itself with large quantities of weapons paid for by the United States.
Mr. Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on Mr. Vance’s statement.
In recent days, Mr. Trump has expressed frustration with Mr. Netanyahu, claimed credit for Israel’s existence and has described the Israeli leader as “crazy”. He sidelined Israel throughout the negotiations, and criticised Israeli airstrikes in Beirut.
In his first comments on the newly signed memorandum of understanding, Mr. Netanyahu on Thursday (June 18) said Israel’s military will stay in a zone of territory it is occupying in southern Lebanon “as long as Israel’s security needs require it”.
The comments threatened to undermine the deal, which calls for a halt in all fighting and respect for Lebanon’s territorial integrity.
Mr. Netanyahu, however, noted it was important “to maintain the important relationship with our American friends who fought shoulder to shoulder with us, and we greatly appreciate that”.
Published – June 19, 2026 09:22 am IST
