He told CBS that while Israel has been a very close partner of the United States, even then there may be times when the two countries have their interests misaligned— and that the US would do what is best for its interest.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu, look, he governs a country that has obviously been a very close partner of the United States. But, even when we’ve been close partners, sometimes we have interests that are perfectly aligned, and sometimes we have interests that are misaligned,” Vance told Robert Costa in an interview airing this week on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
He said that while Netanyahu is a leader who “aggressively asserts the interests of his country” but said Trump “has been very clear about what is in our best interest.”
“Sometimes that means we’re on the same page and sometimes it means that we’re not,” Vance said, adding that “where that diverges, we, unfortunately for the Israelis, have to choose the side of the American people, which we always do.”
When asked if Netanyahu has made any mistakes in approaching the relationship with the US, Vance said, “he’s certainly gotten some things wrong”; he, however, declined to give examples, saying those conversations “are better left in private.”