After their meeting, President Isaac Herzog tells US Vice President JD Vance that he is a “huge fan” of his book “Hillbilly Elegy,” calling it “incredible.”
“I was always impressed by your story and the way it was told,” he says.
Herzog says Israel is “grateful to President Donald Trump for his steadfast insistence on moving forward. We must move forward, we must offer hope for the region, for Israel, for our Palestinian neighbors, and for the future of our children.”
At the same time, says Herzog, “we insist and want to see all of our hostages back for a respectful burial.”
Vance will meet hostages’ families after the Herzog visit.
“We’re here to talk to about peace,” says Vance. “We’re here to talk about how to ensure that the peace agreement that started about a week ago sticks, that we can move to stage two and stage three with success.”
“God bless you,” says Vance.
“To the president and people of Israel — you have a beautiful country,” writes Vance in the guestbook. “Thank you for your kindness and welcome!!!”
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From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
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