US Vice President JD Vance on Monday appeared to deny a report that he had decided against visiting Israel this week in order not to signal Washington’s support for Jerusalem’s expanded military operations in Gaza.

Following Hebrew media reports that US Vice President JD Vance was considering a trip to Israel, a senior US official told Axios Monday the visit was ultimately scrapped due to the escalation of Israel’s military operation.

However, Vance told reporters that while he had thought about making the trip after attending the new pope’s confirmation ceremony in Rome on Sunday, he decided against it for logistical reasons.

“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 quipped, before noting that there were other logistical concerns.

“I’m sure we’ll visit Israel sometime in the future, but not today,” Vance said.

The senior US official told Axios that Vance decided not to come “because he didn’t want his trip to suggest the........

© The Times of Israel