Jerusalem, 26 October, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Amid reports that Washington is influencing Israeli security decisions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on Sunday that Israel makes its own choices regarding national security.
Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu rejected what he called “ridiculous claims about the relationship between the United States and Israel.”
“When I was in Washington [people] said I control the American government, that I dictate its security policy,” Netanyahu said. “Now they claim the opposite — that the American administration controls me and dictates Israel’s security policy. Neither is true.”
Netanyahu emphasized that Israel and the United States are sovereign nations and that their relationship is a partnership. “Our partnership, which has reached an all-time high, was expressed in the operational cooperation in the second phase of Operation Rising Lion,” he said. “It was also reflected in the release of all living hostages from Gaza, in the effort to return the fallen, and in other areas where we are changing the face of the Middle East together.”
The prime minister also addressed recent military operations, following criticism that the U.S. influences Israeli actions in Gaza. “I want to make one thing clear — our security policy is in our own hands. We will not tolerate attacks against us; we respond at our discretion to attacks, as we have done in Lebanon and most recently in Gaza,” Netanyahu said. “We dropped 150 tons on Hamas and terrorist elements after the attack on our two soldiers. And of course we thwart dangers while they are forming before they are carried out, as we did just yesterday in the Gaza Strip.”
The remarks follow Israeli media reports that Washington blocked Jerusalem from suspending humanitarian aid deliveries over Hamas’ failure to return the bodies of 13 hostages. The return of the 13 has become an obstacle to advancing the ceasefire agreement to its next phase.
Israel allowed an Egyptian search and rescue team into Gaza on Saturday, the first foreign search team allowed since the ceasefire.
Also on Saturday night, former U.S. President Donald Trump warned Hamas he would be “watching closely” for the return of more bodies.
“Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly,” he wrote on Truth Social, adding that if Hamas does not, “the other countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action.”
Trump noted, “Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not. Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, ‘Both sides would be treated fairly,’ that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely.”
Netanyahu stressed that Israel does not seek anyone’s approval in these matters. “We control our own security, and we have also made clear regarding international forces that Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us — that is how we act and will continue to act. This, of course, is accepted by the United States, as its most senior representatives have said in recent days,” he added.
Around 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.
Related Topics
