JD Vance: Trump’s vice presidential candidate against the Iraq war and pro-Israel interests

Former US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he had selected Ohio Senator JD Vance as his vice presidential candidate.

Vance is perhaps best known among U.S. voters for his conservative rust-belt politics. His political career was propelled by a biographical book in which he covered the economic and social problems of the United States’ forgotten hinterland. His 2016 memoir states: Hillbilly Elegy, Vance tried to explain why Trump resonated with white working-class families like his own.

In foreign policy, Vance is known for his “America First” agenda, which took an unusual path.

After graduating from public high school, Vance joined the Marine Corps and served in Iraq as a corporal in the public affairs department of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

He later attended Yale Law School on the GI Bill for former U.S. servicemen and took a job as a venture capitalist in San Francisco. When asked later about Iraq, he replied, “I served my country honorably, and when I went to Iraq, I realized I had been lied to – that the promises of the foreign policy establishment were a complete joke.”

Vance also said that the US invasion gave Iran greater power and led to a dramatic collapse of Christianity in Iraq, which explained why the majority of Iraq’s 1.5 million Christians fled after the war.

“Almost every single one of these historic Christian communities has disappeared. This is the fruit of America’s work in Iraq: a regional ally of Iran and the annihilation and decimation of one of the oldest Christian communities in the world.”

“A complete joke”

Although his foreign policy is marked by deep suspicion of foreign entanglements and alliances, he is a strong supporter of Israel. These views were evident earlier this year when Vance opposed aid to Ukraine but insisted on supporting Israel’s war on Gaza.

“I support Israel and its fight against Hamas. I also admire the Ukrainians’ fight against Russia, but I do not believe it is in America’s interest to continue to finance the seemingly endless conflict in Ukraine,” Vance said. “It is strange to equate Israel and Ukraine as similar issues. They are fundamentally different and we should analyze them separately.”

US election 2024: Who are the favorites to succeed Biden if he is eliminated?

Read more ”

Vance described Israel as “one of the most dynamic and technologically advanced countries in the world.”

Jewish Insider characterized Vance’s speech as someone putting a “pro-Israel spin” on the “America First worldview.”

Vance supported Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip, saying the war was necessary to achieve a normalization agreement between Israel and the Arab Gulf states.

“Hamas started the conflict and is now using Palestinian civilians as a human shield. To learn from the past 40 years, our priority should be to destroy Hamas as a military force,” he said. “You cannot eliminate Hamas’ ideology, but you can eliminate its commanders and military units, and I believe Israel should be empowered to do that.”

At the same time, Vance expressed concern about an escalation involving Iran.