Vance denies report Netanyahu ‘confronted’ him, says their meeting was ‘pleasant, but direct’

US Vice President JD Vance denies that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confronted him last week in Washington over his recent criticism of Israel.

“He didn’t confront me. We had a nice and frank conversation,” Vance tells Fox News in an interview when asked about an Axios report that used the word “confronted” in the headline, but not in the story itself.

A “senior Israeli official” briefing reporters in Washington last week said Netanyahu had a “good” and “honest” conversation with Vance, days after the vice president called out Jerusalem for funding an online influence campaign that allegedly saw paid activists criticize the Vance-led US efforts to negotiate an end to the Iran war.

A senior White House official subsequently characterized the Netanyahu-Vance meeting as “a cordial and productive conversation about Middle East issues that are important to both countries. [With the pair] agreeing to continue pursuing opportunities for Israel and the United States to cooperate in areas of mutual interest and shared goals.”

Elaborating on the meeting, Vance reiterates to Fox News that he views Israel as a “great partner” but that that doesn’t mean their interests are always aligned.

“The American media is fascinated by this dynamic. But the simple reality is that my job is to pursue the interests of no other nation on earth except for the United States of America,” he continues. “So when our interests are aligned with Israel, we talk about how to accomplish those shared objectives.”

“When my viewpoint is averse to that of the prime minister of Israel, we have a frank conversation about that. I would frankly describe it as a pleasant, but direct conversation. I didn’t feel confronted,” Vance adds.