A senior US administration source said that US Vice President Jay D. Vance has decided not to visit Israel due to the escalation of the war on Gaza, according to the Walla news website on Monday.
The source added that Vance made this decision because he did not want his visit to be interpreted as support from the Trump administration for Israel's decision to launch a large-scale military operation in Gaza, at a time when the United States is pushing for a prisoner exchange and ceasefire agreement.
According to Walla, Vance's decision was not intended to exert overt pressure on Israel, as he cited "logistical reasons" that led to the cancellation of the visit. However, the decision revealed the United States' position on Israel's current policy of expanding the war on Gaza, and the Israeli army's announcement yesterday that five military divisions would participate in the military operation.
The US administration informed the Israeli government the day before yesterday that Vance was considering visiting Israel after attending the inauguration ceremony of Pope Leo XIV, according to what Walla reported, citing Israeli officials.
Talks took place between American and Israeli officials yesterday in preparation for the visit, while Channel 12 reported that Vance may arrive in Israel tomorrow, Tuesday. However, hours later, a White House official, who accompanied Vance in Rome, denied the Channel 12 report in a press release.
The White House official announced that "while the Secret Service made logistical preparations for the possibility of visiting several other countries, no decisions had been made to add stops to the Vice President's travel, and logistical constraints prevented the trip from extending beyond Rome. The Vice President will return to Washington on Monday."
Walla quoted an American official as saying that logistical considerations were not the real reason for Vance's decision not to visit Israel. Rather, during discussions Vance held with members of his staff, fears arose that his visit to Israel now would be interpreted by Israel and the countries of the region as American approval for expanding the war on Gaza. Therefore, Vance decided not to travel to Israel.
Walla pointed out that the background to this is the Trump administration's attempt to push for a ceasefire, prisoner exchange, and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip with the aim of preventing famine. The decision to deliver aid to the Strip "immediately," announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during yesterday's meeting of the political-security cabinet, was the result of American pressure.
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US Vice President cancels visit to Israel to avoid being interpreted as support for expanding the war