Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter harshly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political opponents and legal troubles in an interview with the conservative American YouTube channel PragerU published on Saturday.
Leiter accused law enforcement of trying to “break” Netanyahu, slammed the opposition for spreading “horrible things,” and said the left was leveling “blood libels” against the prime minister.
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter in PragerU interview
(Video: PragerU)
“There is nothing more malicious and malevolent than to level such charges at the prime minister,” said Leiter, referring to claims that Netanyahu is prolonging the war in Gaza for political reasons.
“I’ve known the prime minister for 40 years. He's a sensitive man who cares about people. What kind of insanity is that? How dare they say something as malicious as that? He wants the war to end in victory because he carries the weight of the Jewish people on his shoulders.”
Leiter, a longtime Netanyahu ally who served as his chief of staff at the Finance Ministry, was appointed ambassador in November 2024, just ten days before U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration. While he has frequently taken a hard line against international critics of Israel, this was his most direct intervention in Israel’s internal politics to date.
Asked about the claim that even some in Israel accuse Netanyahu of personal motives, Leiter responded that such accusations stem solely from “the extreme left that has a lot of sway in certain areas of the media.” He said the media is “obsessed” with bringing Netanyahu down and said they should avoid “crossing a line.”
“I've opposed governments in my political career and that's fine,” he said. “Don't level blood libels against your own prime minister. There's a border to everything and they've crossed it. This has to stop. It doesn't even make any sense politically. The whole thing is just insane.”
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Leiter also mocked the corruption charges against Netanyahu, calling them “very serious charges. He accepted cigars. You know, people brought him some cigars for positive coverage. That’s bribery?” he said. “The charges are crumbling like a deck of cards. They just built these sand castles. The idea was to tire him to the point where he'd break. He’s not breaking.”
The ambassador said it was outrageous that Netanyahu had to appear in court while leading a war. “He was in court the week that he was planning the operation in Lebanon. Over what accusation? That we ordered submarines from Germany and why was it from Germany and not from elsewhere? And these are all trumped-up charges. It has to stop.”
Leiter argued that some of the hatred directed at Netanyahu stems from his representation of traditional values. “Some of the hatred for our prime minister is because he represents a return to values. When he says we’re fighting barbarism, that riles postmodern thinking. He’s hated for that but he’s also loved by the people who want to see a return to basic values.”
In the interview, Leiter also revealed that Israel had been involved in creating the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), despite publicly opposing the aid initiative and portraying it as a U.S.-only effort tied to the release deal for hostage Edan Alexander.
“We’ve created it together with the United States mostly,” he said. “It’s run by former U.S. special forces veterans who’ve recently helped with humanitarian efforts in places like Haiti. They’ll operate four sites, each serving 300,000 people. The food is going to be given directly to families, not to organizations, certainly not Hamas.”
Leiter said the facilities will be secured by former U.S. Marines and Navy personnel hired privately. “These are all private citizens. We’re providing peripheral security.”
On Syria, Leiter said the U.S. decision to lift sanctions for the first time in 46 years could open the door to Syria and Lebanon joining the Abraham Accords before Saudi Arabia. “I’m very upbeat about the potential for an Abraham Accord with Syria and Lebanon. It’ll be done with a wink from Saudi Arabia.”
Still, he voiced caution. “I think the direction is right but there’s not a long history of jihadis becoming Jeffersonians. So, we’d like to see some time to prove the rhetoric, but let’s see actions. If sanctions are removed, it’ll be in stages and performance-based.”
Leiter also took aim at Qatar, accusing it of playing both sides. “Qatar is supporting the arsonists and the fire department; that’s duplicitous behavior. They’re aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood. They believe in uh putting down Western society and Western civilization. They’re not a positive player.”
Referencing the so-called Qatargate scandal, he warned of Qatari influence in the West. “They’re accommodating the West because they can influence using their money. We see the reports that recently came out, $5 billion into the education system in the United States. This is not good.”