\u201cWe want to see Iran give up its nuclear weapons program. We want to see the nuclear-enriched material removed. We want to see the enrichment sites for nuclear material dismantled. We have other common objectives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Trump believes that after the battering that the two of us \u2014 Israel and the United States \u2014 gave to Iran, he thinks that he can generate enough leeway, enough pressure, through the negotiations to get these goals achieved. And, you know, we respect that, and I hope he succeeds,\u201d Netanyahu continued, before adding, \u201cI can tell you this: Deal or no deal, as long as I\u2019m prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t He declined to comment on criticism from his supporters who have argued that the MOU leaves the Iranian regime intact and poised to recover, saying that the negotiations between Tehran and Washington are \u201cnot over,\u201d and he will only pass judgment once they are.<\/p>\n \u201cBelieve me, if I have things that I want to point out in my own opinions, I do so in a free way. And when he has things he wants to tell me, he does that in a free way too. That\u2019s what friends and allies do with each other,\u201d Netanyahu added, again highlighting what he said was his close relationship with the US president.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing is that we have a common goal. And that means Iran does not have nuclear weapons or the capacity to make nuclear weapons,\u201d he said, adding that the world was \u201cvery lucky\u201d that Trump is \u201cleading the free world in this common effort.\u201d<\/p>\n The prime minister was keen to dismiss any notion of a \u201crift\u201d between himself and Trump, after several instances of the US president publicly insulting him over matters relating to the fighting in Iran or against Hezbollah in Lebanon.<\/p>\n In the last few weeks alone, Trump has referred to Netanyahu as \u201cfucking crazy,\u201d said he has \u201cno fucking judgement,\u201d and said that the Israeli leader \u201cknows who the boss is.\u201d<\/p>\n But Netanyahu downplayed those comments to Fox News, insisting that \u201cAmerica has no greater ally than Israel and Israel has no greater ally than the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrump is the leader of the United States; he does what\u2019s good for America. I am the leader of Israel, the one and only Jewish state. I do what\u2019s good for Israel,\u201d the premier said. \u201cNinety-nine percent of the time we see eye-to-eye, but as in any family, in any close friendship, there are sometimes differences of opinion, and we discuss them openly, I can tell you, and in a free spirit, and usually we resolve them.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu announced on Friday that he and Trump had agreed to meet in Washington in the near future, which Trump later confirmed to Axios while noting that the meeting was being set up at Netanyahu\u2019s request.<\/p>\n PM insists Israel has \u2018many, many friends\u2019<\/p>\n Although keen to stress the unique closeness enjoyed by Israel and the US under their respective leaders, Netanyahu disputed the accuracy of Vance\u2019s portrayal of Trump as the only world leader to still have Jerusalem\u2019s back.<\/p>\n \u201cDonald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,\u201d Vance declared last month while castigating the Jewish state for its response to the US-Iran MOU. \u201cIf I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.\u201d<\/p>\n Pushing back, Netanyahu didn\u2019t deny that Trump was \u201cthe greatest friend we ever had in the White House,\u201d but denied that he was the only one.<\/p>\n \t India, he said, \u201chas 1.4 billion people. And boy, do we have tremendous support there.\u201d\u00a0He also cited the \u201coverwhelming support\u201d he said he receives on his Facebook page, apparently referring to engagement from Indian users, as evidence.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we have many others,\u201d the premier continued, without identifying any of the countries by name. Instead, he repeated a claim he has made in the past that, despite the rise of anti-Israeli and antisemitic views among many countries\u2019 populations, global leaders continue to approach him seeking cooperation with Israel, especially on defense and technology.<\/p>\n \u201cIn many countries, because their media and their social media are inundated with anti-Israel, antisemitic material, many leaders, you know, call me up and say, \u2018Hey, look, I\u2019ve got this problem with public opinion, but I want you to know, we respect you, and can we make some deals, and can you teach us some of the things that your military does, and can we have some of your AI and cyber expertise?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, Israel is the number two country in cyber in the world, and our technology is so good. So the relations are not quite as they appear, and we have many, many friends,\u201d Netanyahu insisted.<\/p>\n \u2018More cards to play\u2019 in Lebanon<\/p>\n Warming up to his theme, the premier said that Israel also \u201ctakes care of its friends,\u201d and claimed that some Christian villages in Lebanon have \u201casked to be annexed to Israel because we protect them against the Hezbollah fanatics who want to kill them \u2014 and we do the same things with Christians everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n The premier did not specify which Christian villages he was referring to, or if such calls were made privately or publicly.<\/p>\n Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar and Defense Minister Israel Katz have both said Israel does not have territorial ambitions in Lebanon, but that it won\u2019t withdraw from the security zone it has established in southern Lebanon so long as Hezbollah remains a threat.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/F260413MA010-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tLarge billboards near the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv showing support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Trump declare: \u2018Pundits talk, leaders lead,\u2019 April 13, 2026 (Miriam Alster\/FLASH90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769478913_86_AFP__20251229__899A8MG__v1__HighRes__IsraeliPmBenjaminNetanyahuVisits-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump (R) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands as they arrive to speak to journalists during a joint press conference at Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 29, 2025. (Jim Watson \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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