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Republicans on Capitol Hill are split over Vice President Vance’s rebuke of Israeli officials who criticized the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Iran, highlighting the broader debate on the right about foreign entanglements and the U.S.’s relationship with Israel.
The MOU establishes a 60-day window for peace talks — which Vance is helping lead — and pauses active hostilities, including by securing a ceasefire in Lebanon where Israel has been battling the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah. But the deal has drawn sharp criticism from some Israeli officials, including national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who argued that Israel is not a party in the deal and is not constrained by its calls for a ceasefire.
Vance last week fired back by saying in a press briefing that if he were a member of the Israeli Cabinet, he “might not be attacking the only powerful ally” that the country has left anywhere “in the entire world.”
The remark quickly drew some GOP backlash. And the episode as a whole underscores the emerging foreign policy divide within the GOP that has pit Republicans who view steadfast support for Israel as a cornerstone of U.S. policy against a growing America First faction that is more willing to challenge allies publicly.
Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.), one of the staunchest backers of Israel in the House, said that he doesn’t “think it’s appropriate” for Vance “to attack our greatest ally, the only ally that we can count on to go into battle with us.”
“Look, I’m an America First guy. That means that I believe every country should act in their own interests, and so I would expect Israel to take an Israel First perspective, not an America First perspective,” Fine said.
“I think that really goes to the core of what was so offensive about the vice president’s remarks, is he’s an America First guy, which is good, but he should then understand when other countries put themselves first, and to say ‘I’m America First. Not being America First is wrong,’ but then to tell people in Israel, ‘Well, you shouldn’t be Israel First, you should be America First.’ It just shows kind of an intellectual failing that I think is part of what has set people off,” the Florida lawmaker added.
Asked what his reaction was to Vance’s remarks, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a member of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus, said that being “condescending” toward our allies “is not a good long-term strategy.”
“It was Vance who talked about the GOP needing to be a big tent party to include those who are weak on Israel and antisemitism. If we want to make a deal that involves Israel’s security, then we must include them in the talks,” Bacon said.
“We can’t treat Israel like they’re a rubber stamp for what we want. They need to be included in the negotiations. They’re closer to the fire and more vulnerable to Iran than we are,” he added.
Israel was not directly involved in the U.S.-Iran negotiations that produced the memorandum of understanding. But the fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah has been viewed as one of the most delicate aspects of the ceasefire.
Israel said last week it retaliated against rocket fire and drone strikes by Hezbollah. The Israeli military said an explosive drone impact in southern Lebanon injured four troops.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military struck more than 80 targets and “eliminated dozens of terrorists.” It also carried out attacks in the Beqaa Valley, northwest of Beirut.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators had agreed to the establishment of a “deconfliction zone” in Lebanon in an effort to hold the ceasefire.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a Monday social media post that Israel would respect the ceasefire in Lebanon as long as it is not breached by Hezbollah. Netanyahu maintained in a Monday statement that Israel will stay in its “security zone” in Lebanon for as long as it takes to protect Israelis from the militant group.
“The directive from me and the Defence Minister to the IDF is clear and has not changed: our forces in southern Lebanon have full freedom of action to thwart any direct or emerging threat against them or against the residents of northern Israel. The IDF faces no restrictions in this matter,” Netanyahu said.
Vance, who is widely viewed as a leading contender for the 2028 GOP presidential nomination, is considered to be among the members of the Trump administration most averse to foreign entanglements. But he has taken a leading role in negotiations with Iran, giving him a prominent platform to shape the agenda — as well as responsibility for what would be either a signature accomplishment or failure of the Trump administration.
Some Republicans defended Vance’s remarks last week, saying the comments were actually a sign of the alliance between the U.S. and Israel.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said he thinks “it would be fair to say that we consider Israel to be a very close ally,” when asked about Vance’s remarks.
“You can only have conversations that are direct with your closest allies, so I think it points to the fact that clearly we still see them as a very close,” he said.
Rounds added that, “family members sometimes talk pretty bluntly to other family members.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said that “this whole thing is hard between the United States trying to get a deal done, and then Israel’s not agreeing a lot of it, they’re kind of fighting back.”
“But they’re our biggest ally, and so JD is trying to – he’s trying to juggle this whole thing as he’s going through it, and he’s done a good job. We’ll have to wait and see what happens at the end, see if we can get anything done,” Tuberville said.
Asked if Vance’s comments would fuel the fire between the U.S. and Israel, Tuberville said, “This administration speaks up. They don’t hold anything back. There’s no reason to play games. Talk how you feel.”
Laura Kelly, Julia Manchester and Mallory Wilson contributed to this report.
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