Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confronted Vice President JD Vance over his recent criticism of the Israeli government during a private meeting in Washington on Tuesday evening, according to Axios, citing Israeli and U.S. officials.

The two held what officials described as a “frank and candid” and “direct” conversation about their disagreements, including Vance’s criticism of Netanyahu and Israel’s standing among Republicans.

Tensions between the two had been building behind the scenes as Vance took on a larger role in U.S. policy toward the war and negotiations with Iran. Netanyahu was reportedly angered by Vance’s public accusations that he was encouraging opposition to a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and had not shown sufficient loyalty to President Donald Trump.

Vance, meanwhile, reportedly believed Netanyahu was using associates and sympathetic media figures in Israel and the United States to attack him and undermine him politically.

A U.S. official said the meeting was not confrontational and described the discussion as cordial and productive. The two agreed to continue pursuing opportunities for cooperation between Israel and the United States in areas of shared interest.

The meeting followed months of friction. During a tense phone call in March, Vance challenged several of Netanyahu’s predictions about the war, including expectations that popular unrest could topple Iran’s regime. Vance later became one of the administration’s most vocal advocates for diplomacy aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon without drawing the United States into an open-ended military campaign.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)