Israel’s leader rejects antisemitic propaganda, defends civilization, and vows strength despite Arab hypocrisy and terror.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear that his mission remains unchanged as he prepares to lead the Likud Party into a general election for the twelfth time: securing Israel’s future against relentless external and internal threats.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Economist, Netanyahu said his lifelong service as a soldier and statesman obligates him to continue leading Israel through one of the most hostile global environments the Jewish state has ever faced.
A central concern, he explained, is restoring Israel’s international standing after two years of war in Gaza—conflict forced upon Israel by Hamas terror and sustained by Arab indifference and global hypocrisy. Netanyahu argued that Israel is facing a coordinated, technologically sophisticated disinformation assault designed to delegitimize the world’s only Jewish state.
“We are fighting propaganda with cavalry while our enemies deploy F-35s,” Netanyahu said, describing an online battlefield flooded with bots, lies, and manufactured outrage. He warned that Israel is being judged by standards no democracy in wartime could survive—standards never applied to Arab regimes or Islamist militias.
Netanyahu explicitly linked today’s attacks on Israel to historic antisemitism. Ancient blood libels against Jews, he said, have simply been repackaged and redirected at the Jewish state. The hatred has not disappeared—it has evolved.
He expressed cautious hope that a ceasefire in Gaza would temporarily reduce international hostility, noting that much of the global outrage thrives on images divorced from context and responsibility. Once fighting pauses, he believes the manufactured media frenzy will fade.
Addressing ties with the United States, Netanyahu revealed that Israel is not seeking a full renewal of the current US military aid package after 2028 and is even considering a gradual move toward full self-reliance. Still, he emphasized his commitment to maintaining the deep bond between Israel and the American people, even as radical elements within US politics grow more hostile.
Netanyahu framed Israel’s struggle as part of a broader civilizational conflict. Israel, he said, stands on the front line defending modern values against fanatic Islamist forces that glorify medieval brutality—forces often excused or ignored by Arab governments and Western elites alike.
On questions of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, Netanyahu dismissed claims of serious friction with Donald Trump, noting Trump’s past openness and asserting that many Arab leaders privately care little about the Palestinian issue beyond managing public anger.
Referring to unrest in Iran, Netanyahu said true change must come from within. Yet he issued a blunt warning: if Tehran miscalculates and attacks Israel, the consequences will be devastating.
The message of the interview was unmistakable—Israel will not apologize for surviving, will not bow to propaganda, and will not allow terror states or appeasing Arab regimes to dictate its destiny.
