EXCLUSIVE: US VP JD Vance planning Shabbat dinner in outreach to Jewish Republicans
The guest list, originally set at around 40 people, has been sharply scaled back to keep the conversations from becoming public
United States Vice President JD Vance is planning to host a Shabbat dinner this week as part of a broader effort to court and mend ties with the Jewish Republican community, a reliable source tells i24NEWS. The guest list, originally planned to be around 40 people, has been extensively scaled down, largely to keep conversations from going public.
Vance's office has not responded to a request for comment.
The dinner comes at the end of a turbulent stretch in Vance's relationship with pro-Israel Republicans and Israeli officials. On Tuesday, speaking at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles, Vance said the United States "cannot let our Middle East foreign policy be subservient to the State of Israel."
The VP said Israel remained an important partner on military technology and intelligence, but added, "We're going to work with people when we work with them. We're going to disagree when we disagree. And we're going to pursue America's interests."
Vance's remarks followed a June warning that Israel had few friends left in Washington and should think carefully before alienating the US. A month later, in a July 16 appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, Vance also said, "I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there have been people within the Israeli government who are trying to, like, actually shift us away from negotiations because they want to continue the military campaign."
Vance also referenced a Time magazine report suggesting Israel had used funds from a $45 million lobbying contract with Brad Parscale to pay online influencers, and stated Israel is "losing the public-opinion battle in the United States of America."
Vance sought to repair some of this damage already on September 1, addressing the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual gathering in Las Vegas in a closed-door fireside chat with national chairman Norm Coleman. He acknowledged "a growing suspicion among, I would call it, under-40s" toward the US-Israel relationship, and said Republicans need to make the case for the alliance based on America's own interests.