Sharp criticism by US Vice President JD Vance of ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over their opposition to the US-Iran agreement has sent shockwaves through Israel’s political establishment, according to an Israeli media report.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that a “state of shock” has gripped Israeli political circles following Vance’s remarks, which were viewed as an unusually direct rebuke of senior Israeli officials.
According to the newspaper, the Israeli government has deliberately avoided publicly responding to Vance’s comments to prevent further straining relations with US President Donald Trump’s administration amid growing tensions over the US-Iran agreement and developments in Lebanon.
The report said Vance’s remarks were interpreted by some Israeli officials as a warning that Washington could reconsider the scope of its military support if criticism of the Trump administration continues, fueling concern within Israel’s political establishment.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Vance criticized Israeli ministers who attacked the understanding reached between Washington and Tehran.
“If I were in the Cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,” Vance said.
He accused some members of Netanyahu’s government of having “very personally attacked the President of the United States.”
“Over the last three months, two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars,” Vance said. “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.”
The criticism came days after several Israeli ministers publicly denounced the US-Iran agreement.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Monday that the agreement does not bind Israel.
“Israel is not subject to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign nation,” Ben-Gvir wrote on X. “We are not partners in this agreement that does not concern us for our security, and it does not bind us in any way.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also condemned the accord, calling it “bad for Israel and for the entire free world.”
“The joint campaign had many achievements in weakening Iran, and they will not go to waste,” Smotrich wrote on X. “We will have to continue the campaign to topple the regime ourselves and in creative ways, and ensure that Iran will never have nuclear weapons.”
The controversy follows the signing of the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday evening, an agreement aimed at ending months of conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Pakistani mediators announced that the memorandum had entered into force, with Iran expected to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic while the United States begins lifting its naval blockade on Tehran.
.jpg.jpeg)