Remarks by US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday regarding the need to rethink relations with Israel have sparked concerns in political and media circles in Tel Aviv, amid warnings that their repercussions may extend beyond disagreements over the war on Iran, affecting traditional forms of US support for Tel Aviv, including military aid and political endorsement in international forums.
The significance of Vance's remarks stems from their origin with one of the most prominent officials in President Donald Trump's administration, and following the Republicans' loss in the midterm elections, where Vance proposed four measures to win back voters: ending the war with Iran, focusing on the cost of living and inflation, adopting an "America First" policy, and rethinking relations with Israel.
For his part, Yaron Abraham, a political affairs correspondent for Channel 12 Hebrew, said that Israeli officials were not surprised by the direction Vance was taking but were shocked by the frankness and decisiveness of his statements, noting that the US Vice President's call to end the war on Iran signals battles that will take place inside the White House.
Haaretz newspaper pointed out that Democrats might exploit their majority in Congress to pressure Israel by attempting to limit Trump's ability to wage war alongside it and delay arms shipments to it, although Trump's use of the veto could disrupt some of these moves.
In the same context, polls by American television networks showed that 67 percent of Jewish voters voted for the Democrats, compared to 32 percent for the Republicans, which the newspaper considered evidence that expectations of a large-scale shift of American Jews to the Republican Party were exaggerated.
These developments come after President Trump announced on Tuesday that the US would stop providing financial aid to Israel by the end of this year, amounting to approximately 4 billion dollars annually, under an agreement reached with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu months ago.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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