Vice President JD Vance met today with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, the last meeting of his trip to the Jewish state.
Katz thanked Vance for his friendship and commitment to the U.S.-Israel partnership. "Vice President Vance is a true friend of the State of Israel who, under President Trump’s leadership, has greatly contributed to Israel’s security, to regional stability, and to the deep alliance between Israel and the United States," Katz said.
Before departing, Vance said, "The whole purpose of this trip was to try and understand how to make the peace stick, how to move on to phase two successfully... I appreciate the Israeli government for hosting me... I think we're on a very good pathway."
Just after Vance left, Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed for his own set of meetings in Israel – his fourth trip to the Jewish state since taking office. He met with Prime Minister Netanyahu shortly after landing.
Speaking next to Prime Minister Netanyahu, Rubio expressed optimism about the progress that has been made since the peace deal was signed, as well as the work that lies ahead. "We've already done the impossible once, and we intend to keep doing that," he added.
Rubio's trip comes as Jared Kushner proposed a short-term plan that would see the Israeli-controlled part of Gaza (red portion of map below) to be rebuilt as a safe haven for Gazans, until Hamas can be disarmed and removed from power in the main cities.
Vice President Vance and Secretary Rubio indicated that it is going to take an International Security Force (ISF) to get Hamas to disarm and remove the terrorist group from power.
The United States must increase the pressure on Hamas and its sponsors in Qatar, Turkey and Iran to fully comply with the agreement and release all the hostages.
Uncovered: Sinwar's 10/7 Masterplan - with Ronen Bergman
Dan Senor Call Me Back Podcast
"Ronen recently published a piece for the New York Times titled “A Memo in a Bunker, Intercepted Communications and Hamas’ Oct. 7 Plans,” in which he and his co-author Adam Rasgon discuss a recently uncovered six-page memo from August of 2024, which Israeli officials believe was written by Yayha Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza and main architect of the October 7 massacre."
IDF destroys Hezbollah training camp with airstrikes
The IDF today struck a Hezbollah live-fire training camp where terrorists were gathered, as well as a precision missile manufacturing site.
The targeted training camp was used to plan direct attacks against Israelis.
The IDF expressed the importance of these strikes, saying "The storage of weapons, the presence of terror infrastructure, and the conduct of military training against the State of Israel by Hezbollah terrorists constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and a threat to the State of Israel."
The United States and our allies must increase the pressure on the Lebanese government to follow through on their promise to fully disarming Hezbollah.
Netanyahu condemns annexation procedural vote
Yesterday, the Knesset passed two annexation-related bills in preliminary procedural votes despite opposition from Prime Minister Netanyahu and all but one member of his Likud party.
The bills must still pass three additional votes in the plenum and will now be referred to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for further consideration.
The procedural vote was widely condemned by President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Secretary Rubio.
Netanyahu’s office said the vote “was a deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord during Vance’s visit to Israel.”
"The two bills were sponsored by opposition members of the Knesset," the prime minister’s office added in a statement sent out in English. "Without Likud support these bills are unlikely to go anywhere."
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The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
