US-Israel Control Dispute
Israeli PM Netanyahu Rejects Trump's Control Claims Amid Rising US-Israel Tensions
Key Points
Netanyahu offered a more pointed rebuttal to claims of mutual control, saying: “In the United States, they say that President Trump does everything that I ask him to do. And in Israel, they say that I do everything he wants me to do. Well, neither is true.”
In describing his rapport with Netanyahu to Axios, Trump also argued that Israel would “not exist” without American support—an additional element beyond the “do as I say” and “keep him a little bit sane” remarks.
The pressure campaign cited from Washington included a specific reference by JD Vance to the US-Israel war against Iran, noting it “commenced on 28 February,” as part of his warning to Israeli cabinet critics.
One outlet framed Netanyahu’s timing as responding to broader questions over how closely Israel and the United States are coordinating on Iran—specifically amid focus on “Iran’s nuclear ambitions” and “the possibility of renewed diplomatic efforts related to Tehran’s nuclear programme.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected President Donald Trump's claim that Israeli leaders "do as I say," saying neither country's leader controls the other. Speaking at the Jerusalem News Syndicate's International Policy Summit on June 21, Netanyahu said: "In the United States, they say that President Trump does everything that I ask him to do. And in Israel, they say that I do everything he wants me to do. Well, neither is true." JNS reported the remarks directly from the summit.
The pushback came two days after Axios published an interview in which Trump said Israeli leaders "have a lot of respect for me, and they do as I say." Trump also said he sometimes needs to "keep [Netanyahu] a little bit sane" and claimed Israel would "not exist" without American support. The exchange lays bare a growing rift between Washington and Jerusalem over the US-Iran peace deal signed just days earlier.
A Peace Deal Israel Did Not Sign Reshapes the Alliance
On June 17, Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian electronically signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, a 60-day roadmap toward a permanent peace deal, according to Military Times. The agreement grew out of mediation by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Israel was not a signatory. Paragraph 1 of the MoU calls for a halt to military operations on "all fronts, including in Lebanon" — a clause that puts Israel's ongoing Lebanon campaign directly in conflict with the deal's terms.
The deal also requires Iran to readmit international nuclear inspectors and grants a 60-day waiver on US oil sanctions to ease Iran back into diplomacy. BNN Bloomberg reported that oil prices have already pulled back as tanker traffic resumes through the Strait of Hormuz. But Israeli leaders remain skeptical that the agreement will permanently stop Iran from rebuilding its nuclear program.
Vance Warns Israel: Do Not Undercut Your Only Ally
On June 18, Vice President JD Vance delivered a blunt message to the Israeli cabinet at a White House briefing. "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," he said, according to TIME. Vance noted that two-thirds of Israel's defensive weapons are built and funded by the United States. He also pointed out that the US-Israel war against Iran "commenced on 28 February" as context for why Israel should not undermine the resulting peace framework.
On June 22, Vance reported "great progress" on the first day of technical peace talks in Switzerland, CBS News reported. But back in Jerusalem, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was urging Netanyahu to "break with Trump" over ceasefire demands in Lebanon. Ben-Gvir argued Israel is close to a "decisive victory" and should not yield to US pressure. Netanyahu is caught between keeping his right-wing coalition intact and avoiding a rupture with Washington.
Netanyahu Points to Past Defiance as Proof of Independence
At the JNS summit, Netanyahu did not just deny Trump's framing — he gave examples. He pointed to Israel's decision to enter Rafah and its strikes on Hezbollah as moves made against US advice, according to JNS. His argument: Israel acts in its own national interest, even within a close alliance. "We are leaders of independent and proud countries," he said. He acknowledged that disagreements with Washington happen but framed them as normal between sovereign nations.
The US-Israel military campaign that started on February 28 — Operation Epic Fury — involved 900 joint strikes in the first 12 hours and killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. But by June, the two countries' goals had split. Israel has launched strikes in Lebanon that killed 3,912 people and displaced one million, according to Anadolu Agency. Washington now views continued IDF strikes as a threat to the Islamabad MoU it worked months to secure.
Netanyahu's Nuclear Claims Draw Fact-Check Scrutiny
Alongside the sovereignty dispute, Netanyahu has also claimed that Iran would have built and used a nuclear weapon against Israel if not for the two recent wars. That claim is drawing pushback. WTOP and other outlets report that Netanyahu's assessment "contradicts public evidence" from US and other international sources. Analysts say the claim overstates how close Iran was to an operational weapon before the February strikes.
The dispute over Iran's nuclear timeline matters now more than ever. The Islamabad MoU requires Iran to readmit IAEA inspectors to facilities that survived the February strikes. If Netanyahu publicly argues the inspections cannot be trusted, it puts him at odds not just with Trump but with the entire diplomatic framework the administration spent months building. The 60-day negotiating window is already running.
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