Journalism of Courage
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected the notion of his country being an American protectorate. “We are not a protectorate of the United States. Israel is the one that will decide on its security,” Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office ahead of his meeting with visiting US Vice President JD Vance.
The Israeli PM repeated the same during a joint press conference with Vance, to which the US Vice President added, “We don’t want a protectorate.”
While Israel is not a US protectorate, the Jewish state is the biggest recipient of American foreign aid. Israel has received over $300 billion in US aid since the 1940s, mainly in military support.
Since October 7, 2023, the United States has also enacted three legislations to provide at least $16.3 billion in direct military aid to Israel. In May 2025, the Israeli Defense Ministry said that since the start of the war, the US had delivered ninety thousand tons of arms and equipment to the country on eight hundred transport planes and 140 ships.
According to Vance, the US wants Israel as an ally.
“We want Israel as an ally, and for the US to have less interest in the Middle East,” Vance said, adding that “Expanding the Abraham Accords will allow for stability that will hopefully last.”
Speaking to reporters before the meeting’s Vance also acknowledged that the road to peace is strewn with huge hurdles.
“We have a very, very tough task ahead of us, which is to disarm Hamas but rebuild Gaza to make life better for the people in Gaza, but also to ensure that Hamas is no longer a threat to our friends in Israel. That’s not easy,” Vance said. “There’s a lot of work to do, but I feel very optimistic about where we are.”
Even as the fragile ceasefire holds, uncertainties remain, including on the next phase and the deployment of an international security force in Gaza and who will govern the territory.
Vance said on Tuesday that officials are brainstorming on the composition of the security force, mentioning Turkey and Indonesia as countries expected to contribute troops. Britain is also sending a small contingent of military officers to Israel to assist in monitoring the ceasefire.
