“Israel’s Fighting YOUR War” - Netanyahu ADMITS Genocide, Slams AIPAC Critics & Trump Owning Gaza | PBD Podcast | Ep. 636

Summary

---

PBD Podcast Ep. 636 Summary

“Israel’s Fighting YOUR War” – Netanyahu ADMITS Genocide, Slams AIPAC Critics & Trump Owning Gaza

Date: August 26, 2025
Host: Patrick Bet-David (PBD)
Guest: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

---

Episode Overview

This milestone episode features a high-stakes interview with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. The conversation cuts across complex and controversial topics: Israel’s war in Gaza, allegations of genocide, the ICC arrest warrant, U.S.-Israel relations under different presidents (Trump, Biden), the historically fraught question of Israel’s recognition of the Armenian/Assyrian/Greek genocides, Iran’s enduring threat, and the cost and sustainability of war. Netanyahu defends Israel’s military and political strategies, frames the conflict as part of a global struggle for Western civilization, and makes several unfiltered admissions and historical references.

---

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Israel’s War and Accusations of Genocide

• Netanyahu frames Israel’s current conflicts (with Hamas, Hezbollah, Assad, the Houthis, and Iran itself) as an epic “seven-front war” – with the “eighth front” being the PR/media battle against disinformation and anti-Israel narratives spreading on social media ([03:14], [04:02]).
• Responds to genocide accusations and ICC war crimes charges, arguing that the ICC is “a corrupt organization, totally politicized, unelected” and that its then-prosecutor was himself accused of sexual misconduct ([08:04]).
• On the length of the war: Netanyahu defends the drawn-out campaign, emphasizing the unprecedented scale of the threat post-October 7 and contends that Israel’s military action has fundamentally shifted the balance in the Middle East by debilitating Iranian proxies and striking directly at Iran itself ([05:25], [07:24]).

“You have 180 countries, 190 countries, and a great majority will tell you that the earth is flat. It doesn’t make it flat. And the vilifications against Israel as a country committing genocide and other war crimes… doesn’t make it true either.”
— Netanyahu ([08:04])

---

2. U.S.-Israel Relationship: Power, Dependency, and Criticism

• Netanyahu flatly rejects claims that “Israel owns America” or dictates U.S. policy via groups like AIPAC, insisting it’s a relationship of “common interests and values.” He asserts that “you don’t make President Trump do anything” and that Israel acts in its own interest, sometimes even against U.S. wishes ([18:19], [18:50], [24:45]).
• When asked whether the U.S. should “own”/govern Gaza after the war, Netanyahu gives a surprisingly open assent, provided Gazan civilian rule does not include anti-Israel/terror elements ([33:44], [33:50], [33:53]).

“When we fight for ourselves, we fight for you, too, because we fight Iran… But we are fighting that war here in the Middle East.”
— Netanyahu ([18:50])

---

3. Comparing Trump and Biden on Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East

• Netanyahu suggests that Iran and its proxies may have been more restrained under Trump, implying October 7 might not have happened if Trump were president, but caveats that “it’s hard to say with these maniacs. I think Iran would have been more careful” ([23:52], [27:58]).
• Explains that support from President Biden turned to pressure and arms embargoes as the war dragged on under mounting criticism, leading Israel to act “against the opposition of the American President” ([24:45]).

“You don’t make him [Trump] do anything. He does what he thinks is in America’s interests, and he’s very forceful about it.”
— Netanyahu ([18:50])

“We did [go into Rafah] against the opposition of the American President. So, so much for Israel controlling the United States—we don’t.”
— Netanyahu ([24:45])

---

4. War Costs, Israeli Economy, and U.S. Aid

• PBD pushes Netanyahu on the war’s $120–130 billion cost and Israel’s rising debt-to-GDP ratio (from 60% to 75%) ([12:31]).
• Netanyahu responds by detailing Israel’s tech-driven economic success, resilience, and high R&D investment; claims Israel can sustain the economic burden and is not dependent on increased U.S. aid ([13:10], [15:48]).
• States that 80% of U.S. military aid to Israel is spent in America, benefiting American industries ([15:48]).

“Our economy is actually doing quite well… There was an economic miracle in Israel which I’m very proud to have led.”
— Netanyahu ([13:10])

---

5. Iran – The Global Threat: Pre- and Post-1979

• Netanyahu draws a stark line between the Iran of the Shah (relative peace and prosperity) and the chaos since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, blaming Iran for millions of deaths in the region and repeated use of resources for geopolitical machinations instead of economic development ([36:08]).
• Stresses that Israel is not just “fighting for itself, but for Western civilization and its Arab neighbors” against “barbarians,” highlighting Iran’s missile programs and global ambitions ([39:39]).
• Shares a striking anecdote about his Farsi address to the Iranian people that garnered ~70 million views, irritating the Iranian regime ([38:33]).

“So this regime began by taking hostages. And what do their proxies do today? They take our hostages for extortion… It just tells you what the nature of this regime and its proxies is. It's anti west, anti America, anti Western civilization.”
— Netanyahu ([40:24])

---

6. Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek Genocide Recognition

• PBD asks why Israel hasn’t officially recognized these genocides; Netanyahu claims the Knesset did, and when pressed about a Prime Ministerial statement, he says flatly, “Yeah, I just did. Okay, here you go,” making it the first explicit recognition by an Israeli PM ([41:53], [42:02]).

“Yeah, it just did. Okay, here you go.”
— Netanyahu ([42:02])

---

7. Memorable Analogies, Quotes, and Unexpected Moments

Animal Metaphors and National Character

• Netanyahu casts Israel as the “badger” of the international arena:

“Israel is the badger of the international scene. It has the fortitude, the will to fight our enemies because of our history...”
— Netanyahu ([21:17])

On Social Media & International Opinion

“Engineered social media with paid bots… really take their toll. But the most important thing is that for democracies to fight wars, they should be as short as possible.”
— Netanyahu ([04:02])

On Trump’s Unpredictability

“He’s irreverent to received wisdom… Sometimes he can surprise you… I think that unpredictability is not a bad thing to have. Not a bad thing with your allies and certainly with your enemies.”
— Netanyahu ([29:51])

---

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On the PR war and international perception:

  “This is the eighth front, the battle for truth. So that’s why I’m doing it.”
  — Netanyahu ([03:14])

• On economic resilience:

  “We unleashed the genius in our population… Israel became a powerhouse, a juggernaut of innovation and enterprise.”
  — Netanyahu ([13:10])

• On accused ICC prosecutor:

  “A corrupt organization, totally politicized… wants to, you know, basically preempt the sovereignty of nations.”
  — Netanyahu ([08:04])

• Open recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian, Greek genocide:

  “Yeah, it just did. Okay, here you go.”
  — Netanyahu ([42:02])

• On U.S.-Israel partnership:

  “There's a sixth eye—Israel. It’s a very powerful eye. And we share our intel with the American intelligence services.”
  — Netanyahu ([15:48])

• On fighting for the West:

  “We’re fighting in many ways the war of the West, the war of Western civilization against these barbarians. And our victory will be your victory.”
  — Netanyahu ([39:39])

---

Key Segments & Timestamps

• [01:13] – Israel’s alleged influence over U.S. presidents
• [03:14] – Netanyahu explains his purpose for the podcast tour
• [04:02] – Why global public opinion has turned against Israel
• [05:25] – Extended defense of Israeli military campaign and Iran’s regional strategy
• [08:04] – ICC arrest warrant, allegations of genocide, criticism of ICC
• [12:31] – Cost of war for Israel; economic impact discussed
• [15:48] – U.S.-Israel defense partnership, intelligence sharing, U.S. aid
• [18:19] – Addressing the “Israel controls America” trope
• [24:45] – U.S. weapons embargo, Netanyahu’s defiance of Biden, differences with Trump
• [27:58] – Would October 7 have happened under Trump?
• [29:51] – Trump’s unpredictability: refreshing or dangerous?
• [33:44] – U.S. “owning”/controlling Gaza post-war
• [36:08] – Iran: pre- and post-revolution violence and strategy
• [41:53] – Recognition of Armenian, Assyrian, Greek genocide on record

---

Tone

The discussion is forthright, contentious, and often personal, with Netanyahu deploying historical analogies, direct dismissals, and characteristic bravado. Bet-David plays an active, challenging role—pressing on genocide, aid dependence, and America-Israel relations—while also facilitating Netanyahu’s candid admissions.

---

Conclusion

This episode is a pivotal entry in the PBD Podcast, offering unique access to Netanyahu’s perspective at a crucial juncture in Israel’s military, diplomatic, and public relations efforts. It features unvarnished justifications, candid historical references, and even a rare on-record recognition of atrocities that have shaped 20th-century history. The conversation is essential listening for anyone seeking to understand the current dynamics of U.S.-Israel relations, Mideast conflicts, and the narratives at play in global politics.

Transcript

[Robinhood Advertiser]

Wouldn't it be great to manage your portfolio on one platform? Well, now you can trade all in one place on Robinhood. That means you can trade individual stocks and ETFs and also buy and sell crypto using seriously powerful and intuitive tools at one of the lowest costs on average without needing to manage multiple apps. Robinhood makes withdrawing and depositing crypto seamless. Send crypto to your Robinhood account or send crypto from your Robinhood account to other wallets without deposit or withdrawal fees from Robinhood. Trade all in one place. Get started now on Robinhood Trading. Crypto involves significant risk. Crypto trading is offered through an account with Robinhood Crypto llc. Robinhood Crypto is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Crypto held through Robinhood crypto is not FDIC insured or SIPC Protected network fees may apply to crypto transfers. Crypto transfers may not be available to all customers. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal securities trading is offered through an account with Robinhood Financial LLC member sipc, a registered broker dealer.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

You're about to make a trade. Which u do you listen to? Is it get optioning those options.

Or.

Let'S do a little research. Learn [e-mail] TradeSmart Whatever Israel wants, they.

Make a phone call to America. America better do or else. Do you agree with that?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Do you know President Trump? You don't make him do anything. He does what he thinks is in America's interest and he's very forceful about it.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

With the war and the Hamas attack have half happened. If President Trump was president instead of Biden, probably not.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

But it's hard to say with these. These maniacs. I think Iran would have been more careful.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

I'm curious, did you know the President was going to be saying this?

[President Joe Biden]

We're going to take over that piece and we're going to develop it. Create thousands and thousands of jobs.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

I'll bet you don't know this, Patrick. If America wants to come in and invest, that's a good thing. It's not a bad thing.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

So you would be okay if America takes over Gaza and it becomes something that we control, you'd be okay with that?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Yeah. But it's an American choice. Our victory will be your victory.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

Why haven't you yet recognized the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocide that the Turkish did to that community? If you step foot in their country, they're supposed to arrest you. They're calling you a wartime criminal. The offenses you've done, they're calling It a genocide.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

It's been a battle that has been going on for 3,500 years. So I'll have to do what we have to do. We'll fight with our fingernails if we have to. A lot of people felt in their gut, but they didn't have the guts to say it out loud.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

I don't know if it's come from you, though. I don't know if it's come from the Prime Minister of Israel.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Yeah, I just did. Okay, here you go.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

All right, well, thank you for doing that.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Did you ever think you would make it, Adam?

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

What's your point? The future looks bright.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

My handshake is better than anything I ever signs right here.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

You are a one of one.

[President Joe Biden]

My son's right.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

I don't think I've ever said this before.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

Prime Minister Netanyahu, it's great to have you on the podcast.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Good to be with you, Patrick.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

So I have a very simple open ended question for you. Why are you doing this podcast tour?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Well, number one, because I heard that you invited me. Number two, because I think it's a way to puncture the lies and the vilifications that are leveled at Israel. And I think that's part of the, you know, we have a seven front war with Iran and its proxies, but this is the eighth front, the battle for truth. So that's why I'm doing it.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

You know, it's interesting when you say that because when we look at a couple numbers, if we think about the Pew research that came out a couple months ago on the unfavorability rate of Israel, they have you 24 out of five. If I look at the number, Rob, I don't know if you have it to pull it up. If you look at the numbers, you would see the 24 country medium is 62 to 29 being favorable. Why do you think so many countries are unfavorable of Israel today?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

I think it's a combination of historical trends, but also of the impact of social media, especially engineered social media with paid bots. And this new media environment that we're in, it has built in parameters that really take their toll. So we're aware of that. But I think the most important thing is that for democracies to fight wars, they should be as short as possible. And my way of combating the PR war is by winning the ground war and winning it quickly. The quicker you win it, the better you come out of this, this assault.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

So why do you think this has taken so long? Because if you Think a part of it. When you think about there's, especially in America, there's three different types of people on social media right now or in America that follow you. One, they fully believe you're committing a genocide. Right now. They're part of the community that's thinking. They compare you to some dictators, some terrible leaders in the past, many names you've heard of before. Some of them are blindly supportive of what you're doing. But there's the other community that's almost a little bit burned out, that's wanting this story to end. Obviously, it's tragic. You know, we're seeing what's going on. We're seeing all the stories. But why do you think this has taken longer than it's taking?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Well, I don't think it's taken longer than it's taking. Look at what we had to fight. We were attacked viciously by the most savage attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. That's by Hamas on October 7. I said, on the second day of the war, when Hezbollah joined the fray, I said, we're going to change the face of the Middle east. Because it was clear to me, and it may be clear to you, too, that we're fighting the Iran axis, Iran without Iran. I would say that all the axis, all the proxies collapse, Hezbollah collapses, Hamas collapses, Assad collapses, and so on. So it was clear to me that we had to topple the Iran axis and not just deal with Hamas. And what proceeded, what happened following that was that we went in, you know, Hamas is in its last breath. We haven't finished it yet, but we crippled Hamas. Then we went and finished off Hezbollah, took out Nasrallah. That led to the collapse of the Assad regime, whose armaments we destroyed the army, the Syrian army's armaments. We dealt with the Houthis, still dealing with them. And then we had Iran itself that had struck us, and we had to strike back. And as you see, we changed the face of the Middle east not only because we hobbled the proxies, but because Iran, which was a totally invincible enemy, throwing its weight around not only in the Middle east, spreading terror everywhere, and trying to arm itself with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to deliver them. We. We struck them very hard. So when you fight these four fronts, and they're in another three, by the way, that I haven't mentioned, when you're doing that, a small country, you. It takes time. But we're. I think we're approaching the final leg, and that's really finishing off Hamas, we can't have those monsters spitting distance from Tel Aviv and our communities. And we're going to finish it.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

Yeah. So when you say that for a person that lived in Iran, I look at the critics and they're giving, you know, hey, let me tell you, it's not fair what he's doing with this. And you see ICC, which, the average person, when they see ICC, 124 countries that if you step foot in their country, they're supposed to arrest you. Okay. And they're calling you a wartime criminal. The offenses you've done, the amount of, you know, again, like I said earlier, they're calling it a genocide. How do you answer to the critics that they don't follow politics, they don't follow the stories closely, but if they see, if they see 120 something countries that if you land there, they're supposed to rescue, the average person is going to say, maybe this isn't a good guy.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Yeah, well, they said that about Churchill too. You know, he was a warmonger when he was talking about the German axis and the danger to the west. You know, he said, he warned of the slumber of democracies. And I guess if I learned one thing from our history, the history of the Jewish people, is that you can't sleep when somebody says they're out to annihilate you. You better take it seriously and act to prevent it. And that's the central lesson that we learned in the rebirth of the Jewish state and the Jewish people. In Israel, we don't wait to be annihilated. We take forceful action against our, against our would be annihilators. And I think that, you know, people see it after you do it, after you do it, after you realize your vision, then people say, well, yeah, we begin to understand it, but they don't before. And that's certainly true of the case here in the United nations. You have 180 countries, 190 countries, and a great majority will tell you that the earth is flat. It doesn't make it flat. And the vilifications against Israel is a country committing genocide and other war crimes. That doesn't make it true either, let me tell you. Did you ask me about the ICC prosecution just now? Well, let me tell you about that. So we were going to have this ICC prosecutor who since been basically put to pasture. This ICC prosecutor was going to come to Israel in the beginning of the war and he said, well, Israel has a proper judicial system. And you know, I don't see any real problem there. And he was about to come. And a day before he's about to come, he suddenly cancels the trip. And two days later he issues this war crimes charge against being the former Defense minister. And we didn't understand, why did he do it. It took us months to discover that. A few days before that, he was confronted by one of his staff members, a senior staff members, who brought the charges of rape and sexual misconduct that this prosecutor carried out against one of his staff members, a woman, a Malaysian woman, by the way, who's fiercely anti Israel. But she had suffered this harassment and these rapes for over a year. And Khan believed that this was his ruin. His brother, who's a British parliamentarian, was in jail for sexual misconduct too. So he said, that's it, that's the end of me. And then he figured out that there was one way to get out of this and that is to deflect the entire conversation, to preempt it by blaming the Jews and blaming the Prime Minister of the Jewish state. And that's essentially what he did. Since then, you should know that there have been four or five other women who charged him with sexual misconduct. So what you have here is the icc, which is a corrupt organization, totally politicized, unelected, that wants to, you know, basically preempt the sovereignty of nations. And that's why the United States is not a member. They won't tell the United States that its soldiers are committing war crimes. Because some woke people in the Hague are telling you that this icc, this corrupt ICC prosecutor thought that he would escape, you know, escape justice by basically by condemning us. And that's what he's done. And I think a lot of countries are waking up to that. It's sort of embarrassing when your chief prosecutor is, is doing such a corrupt and heinous thing. But that's the icc. I mean, President Trump has put sanctions on him. He's put sanctions on the judges who did this. I think he's just facing, you know, that's what I like about him. He just cuts to the chase. This is a corrupt organization, a corrupt prosecutor, corrupt judges, and reminds me of that movie, you remember Network. I think, yes, we're not going to take it anymore. And it's not just Israel, because if they target Israel and they say to the one to a democracy defending itself against these savages, you can't defend yourself, then no democracy is safe and America isn't safe. So I think that's come out. There is extraordinary vilification, extraordinary lies leveled at Israel and they're meant to prevent us from exercising our right, our legitimate right of self defense. They won't succeed.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

So if we talk about the legitimate right for you to defend yourself, you'll see the numbers. I'm a business guy. I'll see how this war has cost you roughly 120 to $130 billion. Whether it's Hamas, Gaza, Iran, roughly 120 to $130 billion. Reports that we read your debt to GDP ratio went from 60% to 75%. So some of the Americans are sitting there saying, yeah, we give you guys roughly 3.8 billion for the war. America's given roughly $30 billion, which most of it was in weapons. But if you're going from 60 to 75%, how much longer can your economy or even the state be able to afford the war?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Patrick, I'm going to have some good news for you, please. I led as first as foreign, rather finance Minister and then as Prime Minister, a free market revolution in Israel. And Israel became a wealthy country because of. We released. We unleashed the genius in our population and innovators and, and just incredible, incredible capacity to produce products and services that service all mankind in medicine and communications. That cell phone that you're probably holding has, half of it is probably made in Israel. And the cherry tomatoes that you eat, they were made in Israel and so on and medicines that you use, made in Israel. So Israel became a powerhouse, a juggernaut of innovation and enterprise. And it strengthened our economy. We went from $17,000 per capita to about $60,000 in a very short time. It's a tremendous success story. Now here's the truth. This is something I just saw a slide. I wish I had it here. Too bad. But the slide shows investments in. Sorry, in R and D that a country receives from foreign sources. So number one is the United States, like huge. Number two, in absolute terms now, as we speak today, is Israel, tiny Israel. The next country is Germany. It's 2/3 of Israel. And the rest of the Western countries fall further and further behind. So our economy is actually doing quite well, I should say. And it's amazing, and you're right to ask it, but there was an economic miracle in Israel which I'm very proud to have led. And we just have this resilient capacity, both in our economy, but also in our, in our fighting spirit. You know, we've gone through the Holocaust and I'm committed, as are my people, to prevent a second holocaust that Iran was planning. And that's what we've been doing in this war. It's taken this long because we had to break this noose of death that Iran was going to put on us. In their plans to conquer the Middle east, in their plans to then proceed to Europe, and in their plans to then proceed to America, they say, death to America. We're just standing in their way. And boy, did we stand in their way.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

So I guess the question to kind of move on from this one. Do you see yourself, if you're saying the war is not going on for too long, if this thing takes a couple more years, do you see yourself getting to a point that you're going to need to the American taxpayers and need more money and support, or are you able to sustain the expenditure that you have right now?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Yeah, I think we've organized that and we're perfectly able to do that. I want you to know one other thing. I think Israel is different from your other allies. We spend an inordinate amount of our gdp, inordinate amount to defend ourselves. We. I think one of your senators said something very, very true. He said, if we had an Israel in next to in Afghanistan, or if we had another Israel there, you know, we wouldn't have spent a trillion dollars or trillions of dollars. Israel is receiving and is very grateful for the American military assistance at about 3.8 billion a year and 80% of it is spent in the United States. That's the deal. So it helps American industries, but we also produce these incredible weapons that we share with the United States. We produce intel that is invaluable for the United States. You're familiar with the five eyes, Patrick. You know what that is? All these countries that are part of the American intelligence system. Well, there's a sixth eye, Israel. It's a very powerful eye. And we share our intel with the American intelligence services. And that's why the bond is so strong. It's not only a bond of values, of our common Judeo Christian civilization, and it is really a war of civilization against the barbarians that we're fighting. But it's also a bond of utility, of great success. That partnership is very, very strong. I know it's challenged all the time, but it's very, very strong. And you should talk to some of the people in the higher places in the Pentagon. I wish you could talk to the people who share our intelligence or the weapon systems that we share. I think that you'll discover that they appreciate as we appreciate enormously what America gives to us and they appreciate what Israel gives to America. Somebody said to me, you're the One fighting ally we have. You don't ask us to put boots on the ground. You don't ask us to fight your wars. Although President Trump did a great thing by joining in. That precise strike that he did didn't start World War Three. It didn't bring thousands of American troops on the ground in Iran, but it did. It was a magnificent addition to our brave soldiers. So I have to tell you, I think it's a partnership that is gonna go on for a long, long time, as far as I'm concerned, for all time.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

Prime Minister, what do you say to the critics who say, you know, Israel owns America? You know, Israel is who makes America do things they want them to do, whether it's through aipac, you know, whether it's through, you know, funding money? You'll typically hear this. This has been overly said the last couple years in a major way. And there's a big. There's a community of Americans that at this point, believe that whatever Israel wants, they make a phone call to America, America better do, or else. Do you agree with that?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Absolutely not. I think it's full of hokum. First of all, do you know President Trump? Sort of. I've known him for many years. Sure. Okay. You don't make him do anything. He does what he thinks is in America's interests, and he's very forceful about it. When he sees allies who don't step up to the plate, you know, he's not shy about saying it. And we have a different relationship altogether. It's not of one of coercion or manipulation. It's one of common interests and common values. And I think that people understand that because Israel is different. It really is. You know, we know that we have to fight for ourselves, and we do. But when we fight for ourselves, we fight for you, too, because we fight Iran. Iran try to murder President Trump not once, but twice. Iran killed and wounded thousands of Americans with their IEDs, explosives devices in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iran killed 241 Marines in Beirut. They bomb your embassies, they burn American flags. They have mobs chanting, death to America. Death to America. So when we fight Iran, we're not just fighting our war, we're fighting your war. But we are fighting that war here in the Middle East. And let me tell you what would happen. And someone who had been in the Middle east as a child, I think you can appreciate this. It's not only we who are threatened by Iran. It's our Arab neighbors, too. They know that Iran wants to. Wants to conquer them Pillage their oil fields, take over the Middle east, the maritime routes that control world trade. So they know that. But if you look at who's actually fighting Iran, it's Israel. It's Israel. Our brave soldiers, our incredibly brave soldiers, and this tiny country. You know, President Trump asked me, how do you guys do this? I mean, you're such a small country. You know, we're the size of New Jersey, bigger than Rhode island, but that's it. We're slightly smaller than New Jersey. And we take on this enormous empire with all its proxies, this anti American empire that threatens to kill the President and chance death to America. How do you do this? And I said, well, you know, you're like an enormous lion, like a, almost like a prehistoric saber tooth tiger. You're enormous. We're not, but we are, you know, we're the, you know, the badger, you know, this little animal.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

Absolutely.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

And you see a badger being, you know, some tiger or lioness is trying to, to kill it and it sort of turns around, it has very sharp teeth and it knows how to go to the, to the weakness points, you know, to the points of vulnerability of the enemy. And they, you see these things. You know, I watch NGO Wild when my wife lets me because she likes to watch cooking shows. Okay. So late at night, after we have this argument, we settle on some compromise. And I'm not Geo wild. I see these, these films of this badger, this tiny creature, it's about this big, taking on a lion, and the lion runs away. So Israel is the badger of the international scene. It has the fortitude, the will to fight our enemies because of our history, because for so long we didn't have a state, we didn't have an army, we didn't have the ability to defend ourselves, which culminated in this crescendo of massacres that culminated in the worst massacre of them all. The, the holocaust in which a third of our people were annihilated. We have that in our bones, in our hearts, in our soul, and we fight. That's a very. I think President Trump would like to see more Israels around the globe because, you know, everybody who says, you know, America first, I can respect that, but I don't think they want America alone. And if you can have allies that actually share your values and fight for them in various parts of the world, and especially in the Middle east with Iran trying to take over the world, I think that's a valuable addition. So, you know, it'll take time for this to sink in, but it will.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

Sink in, you know, the topic of America first, it's become a little bit more clear where people are being put in different groups, America first and America only. And that debate's going on right now, which is a great debate. I actually like listening to both sides make their argument. What you said, do you think President Trump is the type of a man that you can get anything you want and make him do what he wants? I don't think President Trump is, but I do think Biden and others are. So the whole criticism of the fact that Israel, whatever they want, they can call America and have favors being done, I would agree with you on Trump, but with Biden. So maybe a question that I don't think has been asked yet. Putin was asked two weeks ago if the war between Ukraine and Russia would have happened under Trump. He said, no, it wouldn't have happened. So for you, would the war and the Hamas attack have happened if President Trump was president instead of Biden?

The Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University helps you go from I know the way to I've arrived with our top 10 ranked online MBA. Gain skills you can learn today and apply tomorrow. Get ready to go from make it happen to made it happen and keep striving. Visit strayer.edu Jack WelchMBA to learn more. Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by Chev and has many campuses, including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia. Ford BlueCruise Hands Free highway driving takes the work out of being behind the wheel, allowing you to relax and reconnect while also staying in control. Enjoy the drive in blue cruise enabled vehicles like the F150 Explorer and Mustang Mach E available feature on equipped vehicles. Terms apply. Does not replace safe driving. See Ford.com BlueCruise for more details.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

I don't know, it's a good question, but you've said something about Biden that I should just point out the facts. In fact, President Biden supported us in the beginning of the war after this horrific massacre, and he came here and I very much appreciate it. But as the war progressed and the vilifications of Israel, the distortions on the media began to pile on. You know, he began to take a different course. And when we were just 2/3 of the way, 3/4 of the way in Gaza, I said, we have to go into that last position that they had where they had organized battalions. It's in a city called Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. And he said, don't go there. And he Said, if you do go there, I'll, I'll smack an embargo on you. Now, you know, you're fighting a seven front war and all of a sudden you're slapped with an embargo of weapons. That was tough. And I said to President Biden, who I've known for many years, I respect the fact you're the President of the United States, but I'm the Prime Minister of the one and only Jewish state and we've been fighting for, to survive in our small place under the sun. It's been a battle that has been going on for 3,500 years. So I'll have to do what we have to do. And then a few days later, Tony Blinken, who was the Secretary of State, came to Israel and he said, you know, President is serious about this embargo. And I said, tony, I know it's serious because you stopped all the weapons. You slow walked them before, but now you've stopped them. And, and then I said to him this, I said, he said, well, how are you going to do it? Then I said, tony, we'll fight with our fingernails if we have to, but we're not going to leave. It's like leaving the Allies would leave a quarter of the German battalions in place and not going to Berlin. And I said, would you take that? Would you take that, Patrick? Of course you wouldn't. So we didn't take it either. We did it against the opposition of the American President. So, so much for Israel controlling the United States. We don't. But we do seek to control our destiny. And when somebody commits a crime like they did on October 7th, decapitating our men, raping our women and then murdering them, burning children alive in front of their parents, taking 255 hostages, grandmothers with their grandchildren, you know this horror, and pledged to do it again and again and again. Well, what choice do we have? We have to fight them. And they're Iranian patrons. And we did just that. We did that first with American help, then with American opposition. And when President Trump came in with great American help, which I truly appreciate, and I think President Trump does what he thinks is good for America. I don't think that. I know that for a fact. He's a great leader.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

So going back to that, I want to, I want to clarify this again. So you said you don't know whether Hamas October 7th attack would have happened under Trump. So you're saying Hamas would have had the audacity even under Trump to have attacked or no, they would have Feared him?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Probably not, but it's hard to say with these. These maniacs. You can't quite tell. I think. I think Iran would have been more careful. And Iran is the patron. Would they have controlled completely their client, their proxy? Maybe not. Maybe they would have. Possibly. But look, I think President Trump just has changed the posture of America. America is back on the global scene. America has resumed its powerful position among the nations, and I think that's for the good, because I think one of the tragedies for the Jewish people was that in the first half of the 20th century, America was not the dominant global power. And the worst tragedy in the history of mankind, the World War II, took place. And I don't think it was accidental. And the worst tragedy in the history of my people, the Holocaust, took place. But in the second half of the 20th century, America emerged as the dominant power in the earth, and Israel came into being. And as a result, our history has changed. We no longer are massacred with impunity. We now have the ability to defend ourselves. And we are very fortunate to have an ally, a strong ally, the United States, with successive presidents. We've had our differences, as I said, but overall, there's been a very strong alliance through all presidents, but it's never been stronger. It's never been so intimate and so powerful as it is now under President Trump.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

You've been prime minister while President Clinton was in the White House, Biden, Obama, and Trump twice. Is there an element of unpredictability with President Trump that you don't know necessarily what he's gonna be saying next? Or do you notice a pattern of similar approaches that they all take?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Well, look, I think President Trump has an enormous capability. He's irreverent to received wisdom, to traditional thinking. You know, he says, well, let's look at it again. You know, and sometimes he can surprise you. I'll tell you, I had conversations with him when he cuts to the chase on something and he says something that no one before said, a lot of people felt in their gut, but they didn't have the guts to say it out loud. And he does. And, you know, I find that very refreshing. And also I think that unpredictability is not a bad thing to have. Not a bad thing to have with your. Sometimes with your allies and certainly with your enemies.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

I want to show you this clip. This is a clip of you and the president. You guys are standing right next to each other, and you give a look that you almost didn't know he was going to say this. And this is just personally for myself, I'm curious, did you know the president was going to be saying this? Go ahead and play the clip, Rob.

[President Joe Biden]

As far as Gaza is concerned, we'll do what is necessary. If it's necessary, we'll do that. We're going to take over that piece and we're going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it'll be something that the entire Middle east can be very proud of. But everybody feels that continuing the same process that's gone on forever over and over again, and then it starts and then the killing starts and all of the other problems start and you end up in the same place. And we don't want to see that happen. So by the United States, with its stability and strength, owning it, especially the strength that we're developing and developed over the last fairly short period of time, I would say, really since the election, I think will be a great keeper of something that is very, very strong, very powerful and very, very good for the area, not just for Israel, for the entire Middle East. Very important. And we'll again have thousands.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

You gave a look where you weren't expecting the president to say that, as if it's going to be our land. Were you surprised by what the president said here?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

No, actually I wasn't. But I can tell you that he said something else there. He said, and that surprised the world. And I thought again, he cut to the chase. He said, why are Gazans locked in this area, which was just used as a base for attack against Israel, for its destruction? That's what the de facto Palestinian state in Gaza was. It was a base for Israel's destruction. It has no other purpose. And it lived under this horrible tyranny, this terror tyranny of Hamas. So he said, why not give people a choice? I mean, in other war theaters in Ukraine or in Syria or in Afghanistan, you know, millions left if they wanted to. In Gaza, they're locked in. Nobody allows them to leave. And he says, give them a choice. If they want to leave, let them leave. And for those who stay, rebuild Gaza. I thought that was actually a very sensible thing. And it's not our goal now to depopulate Gaza and all these other nonsenses that people say. Our goal is to free Gaza, free it from Hamas, free it from Hamas, tyranny and terror. And, you know, we now have Gazans. I'll bet you don't know this, Patrick. We now have Gazans fighting Hamas and they say, thank God you're here. They didn't dare do that until the final stages of this war, which we're in now, because they know that they won't be slaughtered. So they fight. They actually fight Hamas, they fight these monsters, they call them monsters, and they're joining up with Israel. And I think that's a sign of hope because we can have, once we finish off Hamas, Gaza can have a different future. Israel and Gaza can have a different future. And as far as I'm concerned, if America wants to come in and invest, that's a good thing, it's not a bad thing.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

So you would be okay if America takes over Gaza and it becomes something that we control? You'd be okay with that?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Yeah, but it's an American choice. You know, I don't want to get into that, but.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

No, but you would be okay with that. So even if America chooses, I'd be.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Okay with any governance that civilian governance in Gaza that doesn't teach its children to annihilate Israel, doesn't pay for pay terrorists. That's what the, not the Hamas do, only it's what the Palestinian Authority, the other side of the Palestinian, Palestinian people does. They pay terrorists. The more Jews they kill, the more they pay them and doesn't launch terrorists. And you know, there are several ideas how to do that. But I think that, I think that America's help here is indispensable.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

Yeah, that would be very interesting because if all of a sudden that becomes US territory and US now has interest in making sure there's not chaos there, that could actually be very effective for a lot of people in the community. I lived in Iran for 11 years and maybe this is a transition. I got three other topics I'd like to talk to you about is when I lived in Iran for 11 years, I was born in 78. The Shah was leading Iran, you know, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. And when you look at the stats from 1941, when he took office to 1979, that 38 years that he was in, not a lot of wars was fairly peaceful. You have some numbers on the low end of 17,000 people that died due to war in Iran during that 38 years. High numbers 50,000 in the middle East. Not as chaotic, of course, there was issues, but not as much as they have now. Then from 1979, Khomeini comes and IRGC, which I had, the former founder of, IRGC here, we had a conversation with him. Khomeini comes in in 79. From 79 till today, if you look at the Numbers Low end, 600,000 people died In Iran, 2 million people. In the Middle East, 4 and a half to 5 and a half million people have died. Of course, some of the words are different places, but still, when you go back to Iran, you have Houthis, you have all these other things that they control. How much do you think of what the Middle east was like pre the Islamic Revolutionary Guard took over, how everybody was able to find a way to get along versus what happened after 79? I know you're a big history person. What is the difference between those two eras?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Well, the big difference is the Islamist revolution that basically took these very gifted people. The Iranian people are enormously gifted. First of all, they have a tremendous historic culture. And you won't be surprised, but maybe your listeners would be surprised that in antiquity, in the time of the great Persian king, Cyrus, there was a honeymoon between the Jews and the Persian people. And that relationship actually continued in modest ways, but in. In significant ways under the Shah. When the Shah went down and these theological thugs took over Iran, they basically said, our goal, that's in their constitution, is to export the Islamic revolution worldwide. And that's what they proceeded to do. So all the mineral resources, all the economic resources were now tuned to war in the time that I, when I was finance minister, and till today, Iran, at that time and Israel had roughly the same GDP per capita. Ours went up from 17,000 to $60,000 per capita, and there stayed flat. Why? Because they took all that money, you know, all that money to arm Hezbollah, arm Hamas, arm the Houthis, and pervade terror around the globe, not only in the Middle east against the Arabs, against Israel, against everyone else, against Americans. So, you know, what has happened is that Iran collapsed economically. They have now infrastructure that is completely destroyed. Their water system is depleted, their dams are empty, their rivers are drying up because they don't take care of their people. They just. This is a. This is a horrible sect. So I gave. In this room where I'm sitting, a few days ago, I gave a podcast to the Iranian people, which I do from time to time. And I had a glass of water and, you know, a pitcher of water, and I said, you know, we helped Iran, and we're ready to help Iran with its water problems. And when you free yourselves of this tyranny, we'll do it again. Now, Patrick, how many. How many views do you think I got for this, this podcast?

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

How many?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

It's a video, actually. How many?

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

How many?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

70 million from Iran? About 50 million, we think. So it's huge. I mean, that's half the population. And you can tell that it hit a nerve because all the Iranian leadership proceeded to respond to it and to attack it and so on, which tells you it really got to them. And that's, in fact, what is happening. This regime is not only tormenting and executing and killing the people of Iran, they subjugate them, but they seek to subjugate the entire world in their mad fantasies, the Muslim world and then everyone else. And of course, we're not Muslims, so we have to be eliminated because we stand in their way of conquering the entire Middle East. So Israel is fighting here not only our war, but the war of our Arab neighbors, the war of the Western countries. They're developing now ballistic missiles that can reach deep into the heart of Europe. Their plan is to develop. The next thing is an ICBM, an intercontinental ballistic missile that will reach 8,000 kilometers. You add another 3,000 and they can reach New York. Where are you broadcasting from, by the way?

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Yeah, they can reach Florida, Fort Lauderdale, New York, Washington, Boston, and after that, any other city in the United States. And they intend to put nuclear warheads on these ballistic missiles. So this is not. This is a fact. And the main fact that I want to say is that we're fighting in many ways the war of the west, the war of Western civilization against these barbarians. And our victory will be your victory. And one more thing. You talked about the Iranian revolution. You remember how it started? Remember what the first thing that they did when they took over Tehran?

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

You talking about the toast with Carter, or are you talking about after, when they took over?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Well, they took over, and then they took the American Embassy and held some 50 hostages.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

My aunt was in the embassy. Absolutely, yes.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

So this regime began by taking hostages. And what do their proxies do today? They take our hostages for extortion. They take our hostages. I liberated 205 out of 255. We still have at least 20 alive and about 30 dead. And we intend to get all of them. And that's what we're fighting for now. But it just tells you what the nature of this regime and its proxies is. It's anti west, anti America, anti Western civilization. It's not good to be a Christian. It's very bad to be a Jew in Iran. And it's very bad to be either one of those in any part of Iran's proxies.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

Right. I wish we had a couple hours to talk about Iran because I have a lot of interest in that topic with you, but I do Want to get to the last question I have with you. This is the one challenge I personally have. My audience is not going to be that interested in this story, except for people from my community. You know, the Holocaust has been recognized by 193 different countries.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Right?

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

Everybody around the world. And in some countries, if you denied, you could do jail time, many countries you can do jail time a year or five years. But for anybody that doesn't recognize Armenian, Assyrian genocide, if there's any country that I would have expected to be on the list that recognized the Armenian and the Assyrian and the Greek genocide, it would be Israel. Why haven't you yet recognized the Armenian, Assyrian and the Greek genocide that the Turkish did to the to that community?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

In fact, I think we have because I think the Knesset passed a resolution to that effect.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

I don't know if it's come from you, though. I don't know if it's come from the Prime Minister of Israel.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Yeah, it just did. Okay, here you go.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

All right. Well, thank you for doing that. Thank you for doing that. I appreciate you. That's important to me. And I'm sure a lot of Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks around the world appreciate you saying that. Prime Minister Netanyahu, thank you so much for your time. I wish we had more time together. Maybe next time it'll be a sit down with a couple hours where we don't have to go. I know you have a cabinet meeting to go to. Again, I appreciate you for your time today.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Thank you, Patrick. And I'd love to talk to you again. Thank you.

[Podcast Host (Patrick Bet-David)]

Looking forward to it. So what was your biggest takeaway? I know we cover a lot of things he hasn't spoken about before. One, October 7th. Would it have happened under Trump? Number two, the money, the amount of money they're spending on the war. 120. $130 billion. 60% debt to GDP ratio now 75%. Are you going to come back to America to more money? Three, the fact that, you know, he's looked at 124 different countries that if he steps foot on the that land, he's getting arrested. And last but not least, obviously him recognizing for the first time in the history of Israel that he recognized the Armenian, Assyrian, Greek genocide, not as a massacre, not as a crisis, but as a genocide. This is the first time that it's ever happened. And so whether you like them, hate them or love them, whichever one of those three communities you're in, if you have any questions for me, we have a private circle for PBD podcast on Manect. You can download the QR code here and talk to one another. Agree Disagree. If you have any questions you want to ask me on Manect, I'll be able to address it. Any questions you may have about this interview, I'll address it there as well. Either way, if you enjoyed the interview, give it a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel. Take care everybody. Bye bye bye bye.