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Some GOP Jews concerned about Vance's Israel remarks
Shows Good Morning America ShopGMA Interest Successfully Added We'll notify you here with news about Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Off On Stream on JD Vance set to address Jewish conservatives, as some Jews in GOP share concerns about his recent Israel remarks Some Jews in GOP say his attendance at the event is a positive sign.
Vice President JD Vance is set to address a major gathering of Jewish conservatives on Monday, with some Jews in the GOP raising concerns that the vice president is breaking with them on Israel -- and others saying his attendance at the event is a positive sign.
Vance is set to speak at the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) annual leadership summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, just hours after a campaign stop in Michigan.
But while the RJC is staunchly supportive of Israel, the vice president has made sharp and skeptical comments toward Israel in recent months, contrasting with the party faithful's traditionally supportive line toward the Jewish state.
While delivering a press briefing in the White House in June , for instance, as the United States was working on a deal to pause the war started by the U.S. and Israel with Iran, Vance told reporters that he had seen Israeli Cabinet members criticize the deal and would tell them that "Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time ... If I was in the Cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world."
In a later interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Vance also said that "there are some people" in the Israeli government "we know beyond a shadow of a doubt who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitel. ... what I would say to the Americans who sort of see this and are frustrated by it, my attitude would be: you should be frustrated at American leaders who are persuaded by this, affected by this."
Vance also said other governments run similar influence campaigns. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later told ABC News he spoke with Vance about those comments "and I think we straightened that out because we're not. That's not our policy."
Vance, in a later Fox News interview where he was asked about reported discordant conversations with Netanyahu, said that Israel is "a great partner" but that he was willing to have "a frank conversation" with Netanyahu when their viewpoints differ, similar to conversations with other U.S. allies.
Maura Schrier-Fleming, who is a member of a Dallas-based group of Jewish Republican women, told ABC News that she found some of Vance's comments about Israel's actions in the region to be "a mischaracterization of how Israel has had to defend itself."
Asked what she'd be looking to hear from Vance at the conference, Schrier-Fleming said, "He's got to emphasize that what's good for America is good for Americans, and our ally, our only democratic ally in the Middle East, has demonstrated to America that they are worth more than the aid we provide them."
A veteran Republican operative, who asked not to be named as he is actively working in Republican politics, pointed to Vance's White House briefing as an inflection point to how Vance has been discussed among Jewish Republicans, saying that Vance's support among Jewish conservatives collapsed tremendously after he said that.
The operative felt that further efforts by Vance to reach out to Jewish conservatives or to show support for Israel was akin to an "apology tour," as well as a calculation toward winning back support among the Jewish right ahead of a potential run for president in 2028. Vance has declined to confirm if he plans to run for the presidency in 2028, saying he is focused on the midterms , but has left the door open to a run.
Both Vance and Trump have aired disagreements with Netanyahu, with the president confirming to Axios in mid-June that he had excoriated Netanyahu over a strike in Lebanon.
In the Fox interview, Vance also framed his dissent with Israel as part of a partnership with the ally, saying, "When our interests are aligned with Israel, we talk about how to accomplish those shared objectives. When my viewpoint is averse to the Prime Minister of Israel, we have a frank conversation about that."
Beyond discussions of Israel, Vance has also condemned antisemitism on numerous occasions, allaying other potential concerns of Jewish conservatives.
Some Jewish conservatives have pushed back on the notion that there's any divide between Vance and Jewish Republicans on Israel.
Y. David Scharf, an attorney who is a major donor to Republicans, told ABC News by email that he recently spoke with Vance "about shared themes in Judaism and Catholicism," and that "as for Israel, I can speak from my own interactions with him, where he has been unequivocal in expressing support for the U.S.-Israel alliance."
Some Republican Jewish conservatives have also said they feel the fact that Vance is going to the RJC in the first place is a positive sign that he wants to reconnect with Jewish conservatives and to have conversations about Israel.
Eric Levine, a major fundraiser for GOP Senate candidates, told ABC News, "The fact that he's coming to speak to us, I think, is a very good thing."
Levine is a board member of the RJC, but spoke to ABC News in a personal capacity, not on behalf of the organization.
"The fact that he's coming to speak to us, I think, is a very good thing. He's reaching out to the Jewish community... and not just the Jewish community, but anyone who supports the American-Israeli relationship and wants to fight antisemitism," Levine said.
ABC News' Benjamin Siegel and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
Some GOP JewsVance's IsraelVice President JD VanceJewishJewsGOPIsrael
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