A reporter asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice President JD Vance during Vance's visit this week to Jerusalem whether the U.S. pressuring Israel to make a peace deal with Hamas makes it an American "vassal state or protectorate.

"We want Israel as an ally," Vance said, "and for the US to have less interest in the Middle East. " Israel and the US have the "difficult tasks ahead," of disarming Hamas and ensuring it no longer poses a threat to Israel while also rebuilding Gaza,

As a Christian, this region of the world means a great deal to me,' Vance said at the start of whirlwind trip to salvage the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.