Vance was met with raucous applause when he addressed the Republican Jewish Coalition leadership summit, reports Politico. He spoke at the closed door event in Las Vegas about the rise of antisemitism among young people, even though he faced skepticism from some in the Jewish Republican community.
They cite Vance's dovishness on the Iran war and his criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli government as reasons for their doubt. Others have expressed concerns over Vance's longtime relationship with Israel skeptic Tucker Carlson, one of many on the far right to have taken a stand against Israel.
Gary Bauer served on the board of Christians United for Israel and is chairman of the Campaign for Working Families.
“I've never felt during these recent months that Vice President Vance was saying things that made me believe he was not pro-Israel or not in favor of the U.S.-Israel alliance,” Bauer says.
Vance has a history of making comments regarding the U.S.-Israel relationship. He had previously said in 2024 that the U.S. should not be dragged into a war with Iran because of Israel. And when Israel and the U.S. clashed regarding the Memorandum of Understanding, Vance warned the Israel government not to attack their “only powerful ally” whose president is the only one sympathetic to them.
As reported by the BBC, President Donald Trump has been more vocal in his disagreements with Netanyahu, while Vance prefers to keep any conversations private, only noting that the prime minister “aggressively asserts the Interests of his country,” even if they don't align with U.S. interests.
Bauer says people in the pro-Israel community are very sensitive right now looking for signs of people peeling away.
“There are some elements in the conservative coalition, but by and large, they're isolated. So, I'm glad that Vice President Vance made this speech. From everything that I've heard, even though it was closed door, obviously, in the world we live in, some of the things he said leaked out, and it sounds like he did an outstanding job,” Bauer states.
Bauer agrees with Vance about which Senate race is the most important.
“The most important election this year is to get Mike Rogers elected to the Senate over (Abdul) El-Sayed in Michigan. It would be a national tragedy if El-Sayed won that race,” Bauer says.
As reported by AFN, El-Sayed is the far-left Democrat Michigan Senate candidate with socialist views who is devoted to Sharia law and has allied himself with advocates of antisemitism.
