Fact Check: Did Benjamin Netanyahu once say, 'America can be manipulated easily'?
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL: An online post has become viral on social media platforms claiming to show a quote by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who once said, “America is a thing you can manipulate very easily.” The quote has sparked concerns and scrutiny amid the tensions between the United States and Israel, prompting a fact-check.
Claim: Benjamin Netanyahu once said, 'America can be manipulated easily'
According to the viral quote, the Israeli leader once said, “I know what America is. America is a thing you can manipulate very easily; move it in the right direction. They won't get in our way."
The claim has spread on multiple social media platforms, garnering hundreds of thousands of views collectively.
The quote has triggered debate and skepticism online, with many criticizing Netanyahu for the comment, while others dismissed it as fake, indicating that it requires a fact-check.
Fact Check: True, Benjamin Netanyahu did say it in 2010
The claim is indeed true, as Netanyahu said it in July 2010. A video recording from that year confirmed the remark. The footage was shot during the time of the second intifada, when Netanyahu did not hold any political office.
In the clip, Netanyahu further slammed the Oslo Accords, a peace agreement signed in 1993 between Israel and Palestine for future negotiations.
He said, “I’m going to interpret the accords in such a way that would allow me to put an end to this galloping forward to the ’67 borders.”
He went on to say, “How do we do it? Nobody said what defined military zones were. Defined military zones are security zones; as far as I’m concerned, the entire Jordan Valley is a defined military zone.”
Netanyahu also slammed former US President Bill Clinton, who helped negotiate the accords, calling him ‘radically pro-Palestinian.’
Benjamin Netanyahu rejects Donald Trump's Gaza roadmap
The remark resurfaced amid the renewed tensions between Washington and Jerusalem over the conflicts in the Middle East.
Recently, Netanyahu rejected key parts of the Gaza roadmap, which was proposed by President Donald Trump, arguing against Israeli withdrawal from current military positions.
“President Trump and his team think they can bring Hamas to disarm and demilitarize Gaza. They sent us a draft; we did not agree to it”, Netanyahu said.
He explained, “It's not our draft. We sent our comments. By the way, we sent our comments before we received a media campaign on the matter. This is our position. And we are standing firm on our interests, I think, with both wisdom and with firmness.”
