Washington DC [US], July 16 (ANI): US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday (local time) accused 'certain elements' within the Israeli government of attempting to influence American public opinion to prolong the conflict with Iran, saying they wanted the war to continue 'indefinitely.'

In an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Vance said, 'There are some people within their system, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely.' He added, 'Not toward any objective, but just indefinitely.'

According to the Wall Street Journal, Vance's remarks mark an escalation in the increasingly public differences between Washington and its closest Middle Eastern ally [Israel]. The newspaper reported that Vance, who helped negotiate last month's ceasefire with Iran, alleged that some in Israel were seeking to undermine diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

Referring to reports about an Israeli-backed campaign aimed at strengthening US support for the war, Vance said he had seen 'a literal foreign influence campaign' intended to derail the agreement he was pursuing.

'When I open up the pages of Time magazine, and I see that there's a literal foreign influence campaign being funded to tank the very deal that I was pursuing, and, oh, by the way, many of the people who were receiving that money were actually attacking me in completely dishonest ways. You know, my response to that is, 'Well, go to hell,'' he said.

'I'm going to do what I have to do for the American people. I represent Americans first,' Vance added.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Israel has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to bolster US support for the war and improve its global image, including a reported USD 45 million lobbying contract awarded to former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale. The news report said Vance referred to a Time magazine article alleging that some of those funds were used to pay online influencers who criticised him.

Parscale denied the allegations on social media, saying, 'Claims that I attacked the MOU or the Administration are false. There isn't a single shred of evidence that I acted against the Administration.'

https://x.com/parscale/status/2077492920916246936

The Wall Street Journal also reported that Vance has adopted a different approach toward Israel than many older Republicans, seeking to balance efforts to combat antisemitism while questioning the Republican Party's traditional stance of unwavering support for Israel. (ANI)