https://arab.news/pjxzm
- US vice president: ‘Logistically, it was just a little bit too hard’
- Advisers reportedly raised concerns after launch of new offensive
LONDON: US Vice President JD Vance has denied an Axios report that he skipped a planned visit to Israel amid concerns over its new military offensive in Gaza.
Vance, according to a senior US official, was reportedly hesitant to signal Washington’s support for the renewed onslaught, which was launched on Sunday.
The vice president labeled the Axios report as an “overstatement,” saying: “We thought about going to Israel, we also thought about going to a couple of other countries that the president would like me to visit some time in the next few months.
“Logistically, it was just a little bit too hard on basic things like, who the hell is going to take care of our kids if we take another couple of days overseas?”
He also highlighted “more serious” considerations relating to the proposed visit, “like how do we provide security, how do we make sure that we get over all the assets that we need in order to do the right official delegation?”
The US government is believed to have informed Israel on Saturday that Vance was considering a trip to the country after attending Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration at the Vatican.
Axios was told by a top Israeli official that Vance had believed a hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was imminent.
Israeli media reported that he was likely to visit the country this week. But the launching of the new offensive was viewed as having disrupted those plans.
He reportedly canceled the trip when advisers raised concerns that his presence in Israel might be perceived in the Middle East as giving support to the Gaza offensive.
A White House official denied reports that Vance had planned to fly from Rome to Tel Aviv. His Secret Service protection had “engaged in contingency planning for the addition of several potential countries” to travel to, the official said, but “no additional visits were at any point decided upon, and logistical constraints have precluded an extension of his travel.”
Vance on Monday said he would visit Israel “some time in the future.”