Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that Israel is a sovereign state that determines its own security policy and decides which foreign powers it will cooperate with.
“Over the past month, we have witnessed ridiculous claims regarding the relationship between the United States and Israel,” Netanyahu said.
He added:
“When I was in Washington, it was claimed that I control the U.S. government and dictate its security policy. Now they claim the opposite—that the U.S. government controls me and dictates Israel’s security policy. Neither is true. Israel is independent. The United States is independent. Our relations are those of partners.”
Netanyahu stressed that Israel does not seek anyone’s approval for its actions:
“We control our security and have made it clear regarding international forces that Israel will decide which forces are unacceptable to us. This is how we act and how we will continue to act.”
He added that this stance is understood and accepted by the United States, as confirmed by top U.S. officials in recent days.
