In his press conference this evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declares that Israel’s relations with the United States are positive and reports in Israeli and US media of a rift between him and US President Donald Trump are false, adding that Trump’s warming of relations with Arab states in the Middle East won’t sideline Israel.

He says he spoke with Trump and with US Vice President JD Vance in recent days and was assured that America has Israel’s back.

“Let me give you some details that perhaps haven’t been made public. A few days ago — I think around 10 days ago, maybe a little more — I spoke on the phone with President Trump. And he said to me, literally: ‘Bibi, I want you to know — I have absolute commitment to you. I have absolute commitment to the State of Israel.’

“Just a few days ago, I spoke with Vice President Vance. He said to me… ‘Listen, don’t pay attention to all these fake news spins about this rupture between us… He said: It’s all spin. This isn’t the truth, you know it’s not true, and I’m telling you, from our side, it’s not true.’”

“We’re coordinated with the [Trump] administration,” continues Netanyahu, “We speak with each other. We respect their interests, and they respect ours — and they overlap. I won’t tell you they align completely — obviously not — but they align almost completely.”

The two allies want to ensure that Iran cannot get the bomb and that Hamas is booted out of Gaza, he says. And “we want to ensure that Trump’s plan” for Gaza comes to fruition, he adds. “It’s a brilliant plan,” he says, that truly can bring change not only here… but can change the face of the Middle East. Change once and for all what we have been through from Gaza for decades.”

Netanyahu also expresses his support for Trump’s objectives of tightening relations with Gulf nations in the Middle East, demonstrated by his visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates last week, saying Trump’s moves may serve Israel by facilitating more Abraham Accords normalization agreements.

“I have no objection to the United States deepening its ties in the Arab world. That’s absolutely fine. And I’ll tell you even more — I believe that can actually help expand the Abraham Accords, which I’m very invested in. I’m interested in that.”

During the roughly two-and-a-half years in which he and Trump prepared the Abraham Accords, says Netanyahu, Gulf states were speaking very harshly about Israel.

“But beneath the surface, something very different was happening. And I think there’s a possibility that this could happen again. I would be very happy if it does, because it’s one of my goals,” he says.

“I’ve always wanted to expand the circle of peace, to extend a hand to our friends and push away the sword of our enemies. I’m very determined in this, and I’m focused on it.”

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