Cabinet minister Ze'ev Elkin said Tuesday that while the United States is a major partner, Prime Minister Netanyahu must know when to say no to Washington, according to a statement carried on Israeli Telegram channels.
Cabinet minister Ze'ev Elkin said Tuesday morning that the United States is a 'big partner' for Israel, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be prepared to say no to Washington when necessary. The remark, posted on Telegram channels, comes amid an ongoing public and diplomatic back-and-forth between the Netanyahu government and the Trump administration over the emerging US-Iran nuclear agreement.
Elkin's statement echoes themes he raised in earlier remarks this month, when he said that Israel's security red lines take priority over avoiding American criticism. As The Zioneer reported on June 15, Elkin argued that 'whoever attacks the premier attacks the state itself,' and that absorbing US criticism is preferable to compromising on security.
The remark also follows a series of exchanges between Netanyahu and the Trump administration. The prime minister was reported to have told Trump he understands the US diplomatic efforts on Iran but that Israel must not be a victim of any resulting deal, while Trump described the US as 'the big partner' and Israel as 'the very small partner.' Elkin's latest statement appears to reinforce the internal cabinet position that Netanyahu should not shy away from asserting Israeli interests.
2 developments
- DevelopingMinister Elkin: Criticism of PM Netanyahu is an attack on Israel, security red lines come before US praise
- DevelopingSenior Israeli official: Netanyahu told Trump he understands his Iran efforts but Israel must not be a victim
- DevelopingNetanyahu: Must safeguard security interests while preserving ties with US
- DevelopingAnalyst says Netanyahu faces a decisive strategic test with Trump on Iran and Lebanon
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
- Internal intake