After their amicable meeting in Jerusalem on Wednesday, both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice President JD Vance rejected the idea that Israel is an American “client state.”
“This is hogwash,” said Netanyahu in response to a question.
“We have a partnership, an alliance of partners,” insisted Netanyahu, “who share common values and common goals.”
Vance made a similar claim: “We don’t want a client state, and that’s not what Israel is. We want a partnership. We want an ally here.”
Despite the protestations from the two officials, it is impossible to ignore the context in which their meeting took place.
Vance was just one of a series of top White House officials coming through Israel this week to keep an eye on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Donald Trump’s senior Middle East advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had just left the country, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed up to swap Vance out on Thursday.
Published originally on October 24, 2025.
Read the full article at the Times of Israel.
