Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touched on a wide range of topics in Wednesday’s sit-down interview in Washington, D.C., with “ABC News Live Prime” anchor Linsey Davis, including the Iran war and Jerusalem’s relations with Washington, and how the American people view the Jewish state.
Netanyahu denied that Jerusalem is running an influence campaign to sway U.S. public opinion against a diplomatic resolution with Iran.
He addressed comments Vice President JD Vance made on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” in an episode filmed on July 14 and released the following day, in which Vance accused elements within the Israeli government of “manipulating” American public opinion and funding a paid effort to derail U.S.-Iran peace negotiations.
“Well, we’re not actually. I had a very good conversation with the vice president this morning, and I think we straightened that out, because we’re not. That’s not our policy,” Netanyahu said, adding that while individuals within his government may hold personal opinions, he alone sets government policy.
As for the prospect for successful negotiations, Netanyahu said he is “skeptical about Iran’s modus operandi, I mean, the method of operating. They always lie, they always cheat, and they always play for time. Could that, within sufficient pressure—diplomatic, economic pressure—could that change? Give it a try.”
Hormuz Strait to lose strategic value
Netanyahu said he expects Iran’s choke hold on the Strait of Hormuz to lose its strategic weight after the war ends, predicting that oil pipelines will be rerouted around the vital waterway.
The prime minister said he had anticipated Iran might attempt to block the strait, a route for roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, but said the consequences were impossible to forecast precisely.
“I thought they could do it, but I thought they’d also have to consider what would be the consequences if they do it, and nobody could predict that with accuracy,” he said.
Netanyahu said that once the conflict concludes, the strait will lose much of its leverage as energy infrastructure shifts elsewhere.
“I don’t think the straits are going to be that powerful a leverage, because people will move the energy pipelines out of the straits to the Red Sea, from there to Israel and the Mediterranean,” he said. “We can unblock this choke point, and we will.”
Manipulation on social media harming Israel’s image with Americans
The premier said that the declining support for the Jewish state among Americans, as recent polls show, could be down to the “proliferation of social media” and actions of sovereign nations behinds the scenes.
The information permeating on social media and countries’ manipulation “with bot farms and other things” are related to the change in levels of support for Israel, Netanyahu said.
“Does it concern me? Yes, yes, it does. And I want bipartisan support for Israel, because I think that’s a fundamental of our national security,” the prime minister added.
