JUST IN: Netanyahu SHUTS DOWN reports of alleged Trump rift

[0:00] I'm Jackie Heinrich in Washington. This is the Sunday Briefing. [0:05] President Trump is wrapping up the holiday weekend at the White House after delivering [0:14] a late-night address to thousands at the America 250 celebration on the National Mall. [0:19] In his speech, the president celebrated America's history and touted the country's military strength. [0:26] Our rise to being the world's strongest and most powerful nation was no accident of history. [0:33] We use it and we've had tremendous success. You look at Venezuela, you look at Iran, [0:38] we wiped it out, wiped out their military. Coming up, I'll be joined live by Ennis [0:44] Cantor Freedom and Jimmy Falla on the massive America 250 celebrations around the country, [0:51] but we begin with a Fox News alert. Iran's top leaders attending a second day of funeral [0:59] ceremonies in Tehran for the late supreme leader who was killed four months ago at the start of [1:03] the U.S. and Israeli attacks. Massive crowds calling for revenge against the U.S. and Israel. [1:09] Negotiations over a permanent end to the conflict remain on hold [1:12] until the funeral ceremonies conclude later this week. [1:16] For more on the Iran peace talks and the future of U.S.-Israel relations, [1:20] also what's next for the region, I'm joined now for an exclusive interview with Israeli [1:24] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Prime Minister, thank you so much for joining the Sunday briefing, sir. [1:30] Well, good to be with you, Jackie. And again, congratulations on your marriage. [1:35] Thank you very much, Prime Minister. I want to jump right in. [1:38] Your relationship with the U.S. President has faced some recent tests over Iran, [1:44] but you shared a very warm call marking the 250th birthday of this country. [1:50] You called the U.S. a guarantor of global freedom and you arranged a meeting here in the U.S. soon. [1:56] When is that meeting set to happen? And should people take this as [1:59] as some signal that any potential rift has been mended? [2:03] I don't think there's a rift. We are, America called us the model ally because we're, [2:11] unlike many of your so-called allies, we actually fight alongside you. [2:16] Our brave soldiers and your brave soldiers fight shoulder to shoulder. [2:19] I think America has no greater ally than Israel and Israel has no greater ally than the United States. [2:25] Now, let me tell you this. President Trump is the leader of the United States. He does what's good [2:31] for America. I'm the leader of Israel, the one and only Jewish state. I do what's good for Israel. [2:38] Ninety-nine percent of the time we see eye to eye, but in any family, in any close friendship, [2:44] there are sometimes differences of opinion and we discuss them openly, I can tell you, in a free [2:50] spirit and usually we resolve them too. [2:52] That free-spirited debate has made some headlines recently. Last month, [2:58] the president made clear that you're going to have to accept whatever deal with Iran that the U.S. [3:03] reaches. He told the Financial Times he won't have any choice. I call the shots. [3:08] And then he doubled down on this yesterday telling Axios Netanyahu knows who the boss is. [3:14] Do you accept that the U.S. would have final say when American and Israeli interests diverge? [3:21] Well, first of all, let me say that we have an excellent relationship, which is defined, [3:27] as I said, between allies. He's obviously the leader of the United States, which happily is the [3:32] leader of the world. And Israel is a very strong, vibrant, democratic state. In fact, [3:40] the only democratic state in the Middle East in a very large radius. And we're great allies. [3:45] I think that the real question is, do we have differing goals when it comes to Iran? And the [3:52] answer is no. We are set on the same goal. We want to see Iran give up its nuclear weapons program. [3:59] We want to see the nuclear-enriched material removed. We want to see the enrichment sites for [4:05] nuclear material dismantled. We have other common objectives. And President Trump believes that after [4:11] the battery that the two of us, Israel and the United States and Israel, gave to Iran, [4:17] he thinks that he can generate enough leeway, enough pressure through the negotiations to get [4:23] these goals achieved. And, you know, we respect that. And I hope he succeeds. But I can tell you this, [4:30] deal or no deal, as long as I'm prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. [4:35] On this memorandum of understanding you're referring to, you know, in the meantime, [4:39] Iran has been doubling down on its intention to charge tolls in the Strait of Hormuz. They've [4:45] been cashing in on the 60-day sanctions waiver. And according to the Institute for the Study of War, [4:50] they've also been fortifying tunnel entrances at some of the nuclear sites and reconstituting their [4:55] defenses. Many of your supporters have argued that Iran came out ahead in this negotiation. The regime is [5:02] still in power. There are key elements of the nuclear program that are still intact. [5:07] And the waiver could reportedly generate billions for the regime over these 60 days. [5:12] The president reportedly has told AIDS he is okay if these talks blow past the August 18th deadline [5:18] for a nuclear agreement. Are you okay with that? Look, did you ever go to the opera? I mean, [5:25] I'm not a big opera fan, but when I came to the opera the first time, they gave me the cliche, [5:30] you know, it's not over until the fat lady sings. And you know what? It was over after she sang, [5:36] in that particular concert. I would say it's not over. I would judge it when it's over. [5:41] But as I said, I think the most important thing is that we have a common goal. [5:45] And that means Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to make nuclear weapons. [5:51] There are other goals as well. And I think we've been very lucky that President Trump is leading the [5:56] United States, leading the free world in this common effort. And believe me, if I have things [6:02] that I want to point out to him and bring my own opinions, I do so in a free way. And when he has [6:09] things he wants to tell me, he does that in a free way too. That's what friends and allies do with each [6:14] other. Your defense minister indicated that Israel is prepping a unilateral strike package for Iran. [6:22] First of all, is that true? But second, would carrying that out be more politically difficult [6:28] if you chose to go there after the vice president said this? Listen here. [6:33] Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic [6:40] to the nation of Israel at this moment in time. And he happens to be the head of state [6:45] of the world's superpower. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, [6:49] I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world. [6:56] What was your reaction when you heard that? [6:59] First of all, I respect J.D. Vance. We have a very good relationship. But [7:05] it doesn't mean that I agree with everything that he says. And I have to point out this. [7:11] Donald Trump is a great, the greatest friend we ever had in the White House. [7:16] And I stand by that completely. Secondly, we have some other friends, like a small country [7:21] called India. You know, it has 1.4 billion people. And boy, do we have a tremendous support there. [7:31] You know, I have this Facebook thing, and I'm just flooded by the overwhelming support there. [7:38] And we have many others. Let me tell you where we have support, because it's fashionable now. [7:42] And, you know, in many countries, because their media and their social media are inundated with [7:49] anti-Israel, anti-Semitic material, many leaders, you know, call me up and say, [7:55] hey, look, I've got this problem with public opinion. But I want you to know, we respect you. [7:59] And can we make some deals? And can you teach us some of the things that your military does? [8:04] And can we have some of your AI and cyber expertise? You know, Israel is the number two [8:09] countries, cyber in the world. And our technology is so good. So the relations are not quite as they [8:17] appear. And we have we have many, many friends. And I have to tell you, we also take care of our [8:22] friends, especially the Christians in the Middle East. The Christian villages in Lebanon, some of [8:29] them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them against the Hezbollah [8:37] fanatics who want to kill them. And we do the same things with Christians everywhere. [8:41] Well, you're leading Christians in the Middle East. [8:43] You're touching on my next question, because a source close to the vice president's team told [8:48] Politico that that statement that he made reflects his view of this new political reality, where, [8:54] quote, the vice president sees that the ground is shifting against Israel among voters, including [8:59] with younger Republicans. He's responding accordingly with nuance instead of stridency. [9:04] Do you take that as a warning that if Israel were to act alone, the Trump administration would [9:11] withhold its backing? Well, first of all, it concerns me that there's that element of anti-Israel. [9:19] First of all, in the Democratic Party and in the woke right, I'm concerned with that. [9:25] And to the extent that we can do something to mend it, obviously I'll do it. But I find that there's [9:31] something unique about these attacks. And that something is that the people who hate Israel end [9:42] up hating America. And I've seen that, you know, when they do these, you know, these demonstrations, [9:48] these protests against Israel, against Israel defending itself, this tiny country defending itself against [9:54] these terrorist murderers who commit to exterminate us. And we do what any self-respecting country would [10:01] do. We defend ourselves. But when they do the protests, they burn Israeli flags. And very often, [10:06] right next to them, they burn American flags. But when those Americans who support Israel, [10:13] non-Jews and Jews alike, when they do a demonstration to support Israel, they wave the Israeli flag, [10:21] and they wave the American flag. So I think there's a process taking place inside America, [10:25] which you probably know better than me, of questioning America's traditional values, [10:31] and going to many places that I think challenge not only our alliance, but they challenge the [10:39] traditional values that form the basis of each of our countries. And I hope that's not something that [10:46] is going to proceed. I hope America changes direction. That's really what I hope to see. [10:52] And you're touching on this growing trend of antisemitism, especially among young people, [10:57] and I'm going to ask you about that next. But just to put a pin in this piece of the conversation, [11:02] you know, what do you say to critics who argue that Israel has embraced sort of a permanent state [11:09] of war and that there's not really an end game here? Because they point to places like Gaza and say [11:16] that Hamas, you know, is still in power. They haven't laid down their arms. You know, [11:20] what do you say to those critics who accuse Israel of being in a permanent state of war? [11:24] Well, we're not in a permanent state of war. I myself, with President Trump, [11:28] we brought forth four peace deals. That's what we did. It's the Abraham Accords. And I believe with [11:35] the weakening of Iran, which has been achieved by our common action, our common military action, [11:41] I think we're going to get more because countries would like to align with us and to protect their [11:48] future and also their prosperity. Israel is a powerhouse. I mean, it's an engine of innovation, [11:54] of AI, of quantum, of just of everything. So I don't see that. But I'll tell you one thing. [12:01] I think that the Lebanon deal has shown that we have more cards to play. Lebanon would like [12:07] to free itself of Hezbollah, these Hezbollah terrorists who are, you know, making their life [12:11] miserable. And it's not only the Christians in Lebanon who ask for our protection. It's the Druze, [12:16] it's Muslims, the Sunni Muslims, and quite a few of the Shiite Muslims too. So they'd like to free [12:23] Lebanon. I hope we can get more peace deals. And I can tell you, you know, if you want to have peace, [12:29] you better be able to protect yourself against those who want to annihilate you. We do that. [12:33] But in defending ourselves, we're defending our common civilization, the people who chant death [12:38] to America. Last point, Jackie, the funeral, in the funeral of Khamenei, which was held yesterday, [12:46] they chanted, the Iranians, including the organizers, they not only chanted death to America, [12:53] they said, kill Trump. They chanted death to Trump. Well, you're not going to hear that in Israel. [12:59] Israel is the best ally the United States has anywhere around the world. [13:03] Well, and that brings me here because I want to make sure that we talk about this [13:08] sweep of democratic socialists on the left in America who have unseated a number of moderate, [13:14] even some progressive incumbents who are very well funded, happened in New York, [13:18] happened in Colorado. And for many of these candidates, Israel's becoming their purity test. [13:24] Listen to this. It breaks my heart. Someone who wrote legislation for queers is so Gaza. [13:37] So that was California State Senator Scott Wiener, Jewish Democrat. He's called the war in Gaza a [13:43] genocide. He opposes U.S. funding for Israel. And he was driven out of the annual trans rally by [13:49] activists raging about his Zionist handlers. And then you've got Congressman Dan Goldman, [13:54] also Jewish. He just lost his primary over his ties to AIPAC despite being one of your most vocal [14:01] critics. So what do you think is happening here in America? I think there's obviously a very anti [14:11] Israel and an anti American wave. And I think they're connected because then challenge, look at [14:17] deeper, look at the values that they have. What do they want to see? Do they want to see a strong [14:21] America, defending America's interests around the world when it's necessary? Or do they want to see [14:28] a different America? And of course, also on the foundations of free markets, for example, [14:32] that I believe in very strongly and that many Americans have believed it. And I think they [14:37] made America great. No, they challenged that too. So I think there's a correlation between that. [14:42] And unfortunately, people who know better, I would say who should know better, but I think they all know [14:46] better. And these people let themselves be swept by these irrational protests and this, you know, [14:57] this very toxic ideology. I don't think it lasts because I think America, you know, [15:04] America can try it, you know, just try it, try socialism. You know, we tried it, [15:08] we tried it here. It didn't work that much. So I decided to try free markets. It worked a lot better. [15:13] And, you know, Americans will eventually get that picture too. Final word here with about 15 seconds [15:18] left. Taken together, what the vice president said about younger Republicans and what we're [15:22] seeing with this growing radicalism on the left. Are you worried about the long-term durability [15:28] of the U.S.-Israel relationship? I worry about the trends that I see. I won't tell you that I'm not [15:34] worried about it because I think it has something to do with the, frankly, with the social media, [15:39] with the penetration of social media that has been used and abused by countries, three in particular. [15:48] And they had, you know, bought farms that pushed the stuff against America and against Israel. [15:54] And it focuses on young people and young Americans. And I can't say that I'm not worried about the [16:00] effect that it has. How do you combat this? It's hard because democratic countries don't have the [16:07] ability to fight this, you know, this bot war and with the same means. We are accountable. We're [16:14] transparent. It's not so simple. But I think you'll see a correlation between the penetration of [16:19] certain social media and the decline in patriotic American feelings and support for Israel. [16:24] Okay. It's something we have to deal with. But am I worried about it? Look, I think that, [16:29] I think that our alliance is not merely based on common interests. I think it's based on common values. [16:34] And as long as we stick to those common values, freedom, the right of every individual to live [16:42] and not be slaughtered by fanatics, people should have free choice in their lives. And of course, [16:48] to have our common heritage, which has brought so much to the world. I think as long as we have that, [16:54] our alliance will be fine. We'll have to leave it there. The most important thing that I can say, [17:00] Jackie, in closing, is that I want to wish you and the people of America a happy 4th of July, [17:08] 250 years of freedom, and frankly, 250 years of defending freedom. America has been the stellar [17:15] force in this century and in the past one, in modern times. If you hadn't had America, you'd have [17:22] Nazi totalitarianism, Stalin totalitarianism, and others. And I think America has been a great force [17:29] for good. That doesn't mean that it's perfect. Israel is not perfect either. Okay. But it has [17:33] been a force for immense good. And our alliance has been a terrific one. And it'll continue to the [17:42] extent that I have anything to do with it and the people of Israel who are unabashedly pro-America. [17:48] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, we'll have to leave it there. We are out of time. Always appreciate [17:53] talking to you, sir. Thank you for joining us once again on the Sunday briefing and hope to see you again [17:57] soon. Thank you, Jackie. Happy 4th of July. Thank you. Well, Republicans are facing new [18:03] divisions as President Trump pushes Congress to pass the Save America Act. That's next.