Vice President JD Vance met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday, emphasizing that the recent wave of US visits to Israel is about safeguarding the fragile Gaza cease-fire—not micromanaging Israeli policy. "We don't want a vassal state ... We want a partnership," Vance said following the meeting, pushing back on the idea that the US is in Israel to "monitor a toddler," as he put it, per the New York Times. Some outlets had referred to US officials as "Bibisitters," using Netanyahu's Bibi nickname. The vice president's visit follows closely on the heels of President Trump's own, and more high-level US officials—including Secretary of State Marco Rubio—are due in Israel soon.
The main goal, Vance explained, is to keep the current truce between Israel and Hamas from unraveling amid fresh violence. Officials say there's real concern Netanyahu could abandon the deal and resume major military operations in Gaza, and that the US strategy is to keep him at the table, per the Times. Another major challenge is persuading Hamas to disarm, a condition Netanyahu insists on but which Hamas sees as surrender. Vance offered no specifics on how that might happen. Netanyahu has also rejected plans for any future role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, and also wants final say on which countries' troops will form an international stabilization force in Gaza once Israeli troops withdraw, per NPR.
Vance expressed cautious optimism, saying the US sees "an opportunity to do something really historic" if the parties can keep talking. Netanyahu described his meeting with Vance as an "opportunity to make decisions jointly in a very tight-knit and trusted partnership."
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