Netanyahu rejects – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back on a warning from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, arguing Israel is not “friendless” and pointing to President Donald Trump as a major ally, while also blaming anti-Israel sentiment on bot-driven social media
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t sound like a leader worried about Washington’s mood on Sunday. When asked about claims that the United States is Israel’s “only powerful ally” left in the world. Netanyahu answered with a blunt insistence that Israel’s relationships are “not quite as they appear.”.
The exchange came after Vice President JD Vance warned top Israeli officials last month to avoid angering the United States. Vance said any “wrenches” thrown by Israel into a peace deal between the United States and Iran could risk losing support from what he described as the “only powerful ally that [they] have anywhere left in the entire world.”.
In an interview with Fox News‘ Jacqui Heinrich, Netanyahu appeared unconcerned. He said Donald Trump is “the greatest friend that [Israel] ever had in the White House. ” and he added that Israel has other powerful allies beyond the U.S. “Many leaders. you know. call me up and say. ‘Hey. look. I’ve got this problem with public opinion. but I want you to know. we respect you. and can we make some deals?’” Netanyahu said. “We have many, many friends.”.
He then shifted to another battlefield: the information environment surrounding Israel and the United States. Netanyahu blamed anti-Israel sentiments on what he described as fake activity online—“the… penetration of social media.”
“They have bot farms that push the stuff against America and against Israel,” he said. “It focuses on young people and young Americans…I think you’ll see a correlation between the penetration of certain social media and the decline in patriotic American feelings and support for Israel.”
Taken together. Netanyahu’s remarks mark a sharp reply to the idea that Israeli decisions are mainly constrained by one relationship. Vance’s warning last month framed the U.S.-Israel bond as scarce and fragile—something that could be withdrawn if Israel complicated a U.S.-Iran peace deal. Netanyahu’s response on Sunday pushed the opposite picture: not a country isolated by Washington’s leverage. but a state he said maintains multiple channels of influence while also arguing that public opinion is being manipulated through bot-driven social media.
Netanyahu’s language also carried a personal emphasis on the Trump White House. where he said Israel found its strongest support. With his Sunday comments. the question for Israeli officials becomes less whether Washington will be displeased. and more whether the two sides are working from the same assumptions about how U.S. political support is actually formed—and how easily it can be redirected.
Benjamin Netanyahu JD Vance Israel United States relations Trump greatest friend US Iran peace deal anti-Israel sentiment bot farms social media Fox News Jacqui Heinrich Israeli prime minister