Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited India as one of Israel’s strongest supporters while rejecting US Vice President JD Vance’s comment that Israel should refrain from criticising its “only powerful ally,” the United States.
In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said Israel enjoys “tremendous” support from India.
“I respect JD Vance, and we have a very good relationship, but it doesn’t mean that I agree with everything that he says. Donald Trump is the greatest friend we ever had in the White House, and I stand by that completely,” he said.
Netanyahu then highlighted India’s support for Israel.
“We have some other friends, like a small country called India. You know it has 1.4 billion people, and boy, do we have tremendous support there. You know, I have this Facebook thing, and I’m just flooded by the overwhelming support there,” he said.
He also emphasised that Israel continues to receive support from several other countries, despite facing criticism on social media and in parts of the international media.
“Many leaders 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, and can you teach us some of the things that your military does, and can we have some of your AI and cyber expertise?'” Netanyahu said.
He further said that Israel remains a global leader in technology. “You 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,” he said.
Netanyahu’s remarks were made in response to comments by Vance last month during a White House briefing, in which he urged Israel to respect the ongoing US-Iran peace talks.
“If 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,” Vance made the remarks while responding to reports that Israeli leaders were unhappy with the US-Iran agreement and had criticised US President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, according to an Axios report, Trump said that Netanyahu had requested a meeting at the White House, which could take place after the US President returns from the NATO summit.
Trump said the two leaders would meet soon after speaking on the phone; however, Israeli officials indicated that the visit may be scheduled for the following week due to Trump’s travel commitments.
The proposed meeting comes amid reported differences between Trump and Netanyahu regarding Iran, Lebanon, and broader regional security issues. Despite these differences, the two leaders have agreed to meet in Washington as Israel prepares for its October elections.
