Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu rejected what he called “ridiculous claims about the relationship between the United States and Israel.”

“When I was in Washington [people] said I control the American government, that I dictate its security policy,” Netanyahu said. “Now they claim the opposite — that the American administration controls me and dictates Israel’s security policy. Neither is true.”

Netanyahu emphasized that Israel and the United States are sovereign nations and that their relationship is a partnership. “Our partnership, which has reached an all-time high, was expressed in the operational cooperation in the second phase of Operation Rising Lion,” he said. “It was also reflected in the release of all living hostages from Gaza, in the effort to return the fallen, and in other areas where we are changing the face of the Middle East together.”