From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
‘100% fake news’: Vance’s office denies blocking meeting between Netanyahu and Trump
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Vice President JD Vance’s office flatly denies an Israeli media report claiming that it has been working to block a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.
Citing unnamed Israeli officials, Ynet said Vance’s staff is concerned that Netanyahu will push Trump to take a more aggressive line against Iran, while the vice president is pushing a diplomatic resolution to ongoing tensions.
“This is 100% fake news, and we would’ve told YNET so if they bothered to reach out to our team,” Vance’s communications director Taylor Van Kirk says in a tweet.
This is 100% fake news, and we would’ve told YNET so if they bothered to reach out to our team. https://t.co/Ty9aj2RUcr
— Taylor Van Kirk (@VPCommsDir) July 21, 2026
“This claim is completely false. The idea that the vice president’s team — or any official in the administration for that matter — would try or even be able to interfere with a visit by a foreign leader with the president is laughable,” a senior White House official tells The Times of Israel.
Vance recently slammed what he characterized as Israeli efforts to undermine the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, saying on a podcast that Israelis allegedly doing so should “go to hell.”
The Times of Israel Community.