World / Mon, 22 Jun 2026 Hindustan Times

Netanyahu reacts to Trump's ‘Israel does as I say’ remark: 'Sometimes we don't see eye to eye'

Netanyahu said that suggestions that either leader acts on the instructions of the other are “not true”. (Reuters)In an interview on Friday, Trump said Israel “does as I say” when he was asked whether he could influence Israel and stop it from carrying out further strikes on Lebanon. Netanyahu responds to Trump’s claims Responding to the US President’s remarks, the Israeli leader said on Sunday that suggestions that either leader acts on the instructions of the other are “not true”. “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.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel follows his instructions, saying the statement was incorrect and that both leaders represent “independent and proud countries” that “stand for our interests”. Netanyahu said that suggestions that either leader acts on the instructions of the other are “not true”. (Reuters)

In an interview on Friday, Trump said Israel “does as I say” when he was asked whether he could influence Israel and stop it from carrying out further strikes on Lebanon.

‘They do as I say’: What Trump said on Netanyahu Speaking to Axios, the US President was asked whether he had the ability to control Israeli military action in the region. He replied that he could.

"Yeah, I will be. I mean, they have a lot of respect for me, and they do as I say," he said.

Trump also spoke about his relations with Netanyahu, saying their relationship was “good”, though he added that he had to “keep him a little bit sane.” He further claimed that Israel would “not exist” without his support.

Netanyahu responds to Trump’s claims Responding to the US President’s remarks, the Israeli leader said on Sunday that suggestions that either leader acts on the instructions of the other are “not true”.

“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,” he said while addressing the Jerusalem News Syndicate's (JNS) International Policy Summit 2026.