ISTANBUL
The US rejected an Israeli media report Tuesday that claimed Vice President JD Vance confronted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about escalating violence by illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"This story is completely false," Taylor Van Kirk, spokeswoman to Vance, wrote on US social media company X.
Van Kirk said Vance's discussions with Netanyahu in the past week had been "solely focused" on US and Israeli strikes against Iran that were launched Feb. 28, adding that the subject of the Israel Hayom article "was not even discussed."
The news outlet reported that Vance was furious about mounting violence and vandalism by illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, and pressed Netanyahu to resume administrative detention against them.
The denial comes as illegal Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank are continuing against Palestinian homes, vehicles and residents.
The international community and the UN consider the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, an occupied Palestinian territory, and view Israeli settlements there as illegal under international law.
Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 8, 2023, attacks by Israeli forces and illegal settlers in the West Bank have killed 1,133 Palestinians, injured 11,700 others and led to the arrest of 22,000.