Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz hailed U.S. Vice President JD Vance as a “true friend” of the Jewish state during a meeting at his Tel Aviv offices on Thursday afternoon.
The vice president “greatly contributed to Israel’s security, the region and the deep alliance between Israel and the United States,” Katz said after the meeting at the Israel Defense Forces headquarters in central Tel Aviv.
Katz welcomed the vice president and Second Lady Usha Vance to Israel’s Defense Ministry on the third and final day of his official visit to the Jewish state.
Katz told Vance that Jerusalem remains committed to returning all slain hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, dismantling the terrorist group and ensuring a better future for the region, according to the readout.
Vance touched down at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, against the backdrop of repeated Hamas violations of the Trump administration-brokered ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Vance met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog, with the vice president describing the period following the conclusion of the ceasefire deal with Hamas as “days of destiny” that are “changing the face of the Middle East.”
He also met at his hotel with former hostages and the families of fallen hostages, who have not yet been returned to the Jewish state for burial.
