Oct 23, 2025
3 min read
US Vice President JD Vance is trying to allay Israeli concerns that the Trump administration is dictating terms to its closest ally in the Middle East.
Vance Denies US Order to Israel, US Meets with Netanyahu on Gaza Ceasefire
Vance Meets with Netanyahu on Gaza Ceasefire, Rejects US Order on Israel
Tel Aviv, Israel (AP) - US Friendly President JD JD VID is wanted in Isrookisasi on Wednesday
Asked by reporters whether Israel would become a U.S. "protectorate," Vance, standing next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said: "We don't want Israel to be a vassal state. That's not what Israel is. We want partnerships, we want allies."
Netanyihu - whatever will meet the visiting American Secretary Steet Marku Advertising, while expected the views dependent when they recognized the vesarist cognizes in charge.
"A week of Israel leading America. Israel, common goals, common interests, common goals and cooperation."
One of Israel's concerns is that an international security force in Gaza - which is envisaged in the second phase of the ceasefire - could limit the ability of the Israeli army to operate in Palestinian territory if it sees a threat to its security.
Vance acknowledged that the path to a long-term peace is challenging, with the fire less than two weeks old, but tried to maintain the upbeat tone he struck Tuesday after arriving in Israel.
"We have a very difficult task ahead of us, which is to disarm Hamas but have denied it to our friends in Israel," Wans said. "There is a lot of work to be done, but I feel very optimistic about where we are."
Vance also met his brother Israel.He was accompanied by US President Steve Workoft Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Rules of the UN Court on aid to Gaza
The UN International Court of Justice said on Wednesday that Israel should allow the UN aid agency in Gaza, known as UNRWA, to provide humanitarian aid to the area.
A court in The Hague last year asked the UN General Assembly to determine Israel's legal obligations after the country effectively banned the agency, Gaza's main aid provider, from operating there.
"Israel has the right to accept and manage the aid programs provided by the United Nations and its agencies, including UNRWA," said President Yuji iWasawa.
The court proceedings were partial and the country did not participate in the hearing in April, when Israel alleged violations of international law.Who says UNRWA has been deeply infiltrated by Netanyahu and his Hamas?
Questions about the next steps in the ceasefire plan
Uncertainty surrounds the next steps of the ceasefire, including the region's post-war regime and the disarmament of Hamas.
Vance said that officials are considering the composition of the international security force on Tuesday, citing Turkey, with which Israel has had strained relations in recent years, and Indonesia as countries expected to contribute forces.Vance was surrounded by the flags of several countries expected to participate, including Germany, Denmark and Jordan.
An Israeli official said that the issue of Turkey's participation in security forces was discussed at the meeting between Vance and Netanyahu, and that Netanyahu expressed his opposition to the presence of Turkish forces.The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing closed-door diplomatic talks.
Meanwhile, top politicians in Israel's parliament gave early approval on Wednesday to give Netanyahu the right to visually seize the West Bank; the US opposes the move.
The bill passed by a vote of 25-24.Even the bill is not known to support the victory in the 120-seat parliament, and Netanyahu has the tools to delay or defeat it.
Residue return on both sides
Israel said on Wednesday that it had completed the identification of the remains of the two hostages handed over on Tuesday.Oct. 7Ari Zalmanovich and Tamir Adar were killed in Kibbutz Nir Oz on 2023, targeting Hamas terrorists and inciting the war.
Since the ceasefire began on October 10, the remaining 15 hostages have been returned to Israel. Another 13 are to be recovered in Gaza and handed over.which is an important element of the ceasefire agreement
In Gaza, the health ministry said on Wednesday that Israel had returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians.This brought the number of Palestinian entities back to Gaza to 195, of which 57 were identified by families, according to families working under the Hamas-run government.
Disturbed people gathered at Nasfarsa's Voan Assi on Wednesday for Leih prayers for the bodies of 54 Palestinians they returned since the ceasefire began.
A senior body official said some of the bodies that bore "evidence of torture" were called in for investigation.
Israel has not been certain of the body or explain its origin.They can include Palestinians killed during the October 7 attack, pensioners who died in custody or bodies taken from Gaza by Perha Israel in the war.
Israelites say goodbye to a hostage from Thailand who was killed in 2023
Thousands of people in Israel on Wednesday attended the funeral of Tal Haimi, who was killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war and whose remains were returned from the Gaza Strip the day before, according to a statement from the Forum for Hostages and Missing Families.
Israel also decided to bid farewell to the Thai agency that could have returned the body.Sonthaya Oakhasri was killed in the attack on October 7, and her remains were returned last week.
LED LED fighters who attacked killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and about 251 others.
The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.The Ministry maintains detailed accident records that are generally considered reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.Israel has disputed them without offering its own tariffs.
This story was first published on Oct. 22, 2025. It was updated on Oct. 22, 2025 to correct that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not issue a statement that said: “We are not a protectorate of the United States. Israel is the one that will decide on its security.” In response to a reporter’s question about whether Israel was a “protectorate,” Netanyahu called the notion “hogwash.” ___
Josef Ferderman delivered from Jerusalem from Jerusalem.
Follow AP's coverage of the war at HTTPS:///BUB/ISRAEL-HAMAS-War
