Speaking on the tarmac of Tel Aviv’s international airport before departing Israel, Vance said that if the Knesset vote was a “political stunt, then it is a very stupid political stunt.”
"I personally take some insult to it," Vance said. "The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel.”
Rubio also criticized the Knesset vote giving preliminary approval to a bill that would give Israel authority to annex the West Bank — a move the U.S. opposes.
Trump "has made clear that’s not something we’d be supportive of right now, and we think it’s potentially threatening to the peace deal,” he said.
The bill passed in a 25-24 vote. It is unclear whether the bill has support to win a majority in the 120-seat parliament, and Netanyahu has tools to delay or defeat it.
On Wednesday, Vance sought to ease concerns that the Trump administration was dictating terms to its closest ally in the Middle East.
“We don’t want in Israel a vassal state, and that’s not what Israel is. We want a partnership, we want an ally,” Vance said, speaking beside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in response to a reporter’s question about whether Israel was becoming a “protectorate" of the U.S.
Netanyahu, who will meet with Rubio as well, expressed similar sentiments while acknowledging differences of opinion as they push forward the U.S.-proposed ceasefire agreement.
