Profile: JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, is pro-Israel hawk who backs Gaza genocide

By Alireza Akbari

Donald Trump’s decision to pick J.D. Vance as his running mate in the November election is a move designed to appease the pro-Israel lobby in Washington and to reaffirm US support for the Israeli regime.

Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio, is known for his hardcore pro-Israel position, much like the former Republican president, and is expected to aggressively push Trump’s pro-Israel policy.

At the Republican National Convention (RNC) last week, Vance, who has switched from being a critic of Trump to a fervent supporter, was declared as the prospective vice president of the US under Trump.

 “After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump remarked, justifying his choice.

Vance’s selection came merely two days after Trump survived an assassination attempt by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The incident, which grabbed headlines worldwide, sealed the Republican ticket for Trump at a time when pressure is mounting on incumbent president Joe Biden to withdraw from the race.

Vance's selection as Trump’s VP pick hasn’t gone down well with many Americans, who believe the two men together would be a recipe for disaster, particularly in relation to the Palestinian issue.

Jen O’Malley Dillon, the chair of the Biden campaign, sharply criticized the 39-year-old senator, labeling him as “one of the most far-right extremists in Washington.”

However, the senator himself is unfazed and hopeful about the November election.

“Tonight is a night of hope, of what America once was and — with God’s grace — what it will soon be again. And it is a reminder of the sacred duty we have to preserve the American experiment, to choose a new path for our children and grandchildren,” Vance declared on Wednesday evening.

Despite having previously criticized Trump in 2016, when he referred to the former president as “America’s Hitler,” Vance remarkably toned down his rhetoric during the 2022 Senate campaign.

Embracing Trump’s brand of politics, he stated that the 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud, a narrative that has become a cornerstone of Trump’s political platform.

Furthermore, Vance intensified his support for Trump by authoring articles with headlines such as “Don’t Blame Trump”, which impressed the megalomaniac former president.

Back in May, Vance expressed admiration for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, suggesting that his governance model could serve as an example for combating the leftist bias within American universities.

The comment came amid pro-Palestinian encampments on college campuses across the US in support of Palestine and against the Israeli regime’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Orbán seized control of state universities in Hungary, a move that critics say has extended his government's right-wing influence in the country, as reported by media.

Criticizing pro-Palestinian encampments that were established in May, Vance advocated for the suspension of federal funding to colleges and universities that offered resistance to dismantling these encampments. He characterized the presence of such encampments as a “national embarrassment.”  

“We cannot allow people who hate our country to turn campuses into garbage dumps,” he said.

“My legislation will force colleges to follow the law, protect their students, and shut these encampments down. If they refuse, they’ll pay a hefty price. It’s time to end this national embarrassment.”

Seth Eisenberg, CEO of PAIRS Foundation, a US-based charity, was quoted as saying that Trump’s VP nominee is a staunch Israel supporter and supports continued military aid to the regime.

“Vance supports continued military aid to Israel, emphasizing that a secure Israel contributes to regional stability and aligns with American strategic interests,” he stated.

While Vance has reiterated the principles of an “America First” policy, he appears to make an exception for Israel within his foreign policy framework, ruling out any limitations or restrictions on American military assistance to Israel, often citing his Christian beliefs as a guiding principle.

“A majority of citizens of this country think that their Savior — and I count myself a Christian — was born, died, and resurrected in that narrow little strip of territory off the Mediterranean,” he stated during a speech at the Quincy Institute in May.

Vance elaborated on this viewpoint, stating, “If we are going to support Israel, as I think that we should, we have to articulate a reason why it’s in our best interest.”

He further commented, “A big part of the reason why Americans care about Israel is because we are still the largest Christian-majority country in the world. The idea that there is ever going to be an American foreign policy that doesn’t care a lot about that slice of the world is preposterous.”

In response to the Operation Al Aqsa Storm launched by the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation on October 7 of last year, Vance tweeted, “I wish our friends well.”

He also attempted to connect the vulnerability of the Israeli regime, as highlighted by the resistance front, to the influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“Money is fungible, and many of the dollars we sent to Iran are being used to now kill innocent people,” he claimed, referring to the release of Iran's frozen assets held in South Korea in September 2023.

Vance has consistently voiced unwavering support for the Tel Aviv regime, reflecting a deep-seated alignment with its policies and a commitment to strengthening US-Israeli relations.

According to a report by the American publication The Hill, Vance has reiterated former President Trump's call for Israel to “finish the job” against the Palestinian resistance Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In an effort to promote the normalization of relations between the Israeli regime and Arab states, Vance has consistently underscored that the establishment of diplomatic ties between Tel Aviv and Riyadh is contingent upon the defeat of Hamas.

In an interview on CNN’s "State of the Union" in May, Vance articulated his vision for the region, stating, “Our goal in the Middle East should be to facilitate a productive relationship between the Israelis and the Saudi Arabians, as well as other (Persian) Gulf Arab states. However, there is no way that we can achieve that unless the Israelis successfully conclude their efforts against Hamas.”

From Vance’s remarks, it is clear that he is a staunch advocate for the normalization process between the occupying regime and Arab states in the region.

This initiative, known as the Abraham Accords, was spearheaded by Trump but failed to take off.

Palestinians slammed the deals as a treacherous “stab in the back” and a betrayal of their cause against the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

In November, Vance stood alongside Senators Marco Rubio, Mike Lee, and Rick Scott in pressing the Biden administration to refrain from introducing special immigration protections for Palestinians.

“We cannot discern that any benefit would come from granting TPS or DED to a foreign population that includes a sizable number of terrorist sympathizers,” read the group’s letter to Biden.

Experts believe his partnership with Trump, who said he “fought for Israel like no president ever before,” will further involve Washington in the Israeli regime’s genocidal war against Palestinians.

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