From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 4, 2026
Netanyahu: Now could be moment when Iranians ‘take their fate into their own hands’
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israelis “identify with the struggle of the Iranian people,” amid widespread protests in the country against the Iranian regime.
Netanyahu says that during his meeting last week with US President Donald Trump in Florida, the pair discussed Iran in depth.
“We reiterated our shared position of zero [uranium] enrichment on the one hand, and the need to remove the 400 kilograms of enriched material from Iran and to subject the sites to strict and genuine oversight,” Netanyahu says in comments at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, according to his office.
“The government of Israel, the State of Israel, and my own policies — we identify with the struggle of the Iranian people, with their aspirations for freedom, liberty and justice,” Netanyahu says. “It is quite possible that we are at a moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands.”
Netanyahu says that he and Trump also discussed Gaza, and that the US president “was unequivocal” on the demand that Hamas disarm. “There is no other option,” Netanyahu adds. “This is a necessary and fundamental condition for implementing his 20-point plan.”
Turning to Venezuela, Netanyahu says Israel offers full support for the “decisive action” of the United States in capturing the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, a move he asserts will “restore freedom and justice to that region of the world.”
Finally, addressing growing violence in Israel’s south, Netanyahu commends National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for his efforts to “restore governance” in the area, also praising the minister for a number of his other initiatives, including establishing a National Guard and ushering in changes in the Israel Prison Service.
According to Hebrew media reports, Netanyahu clashed sharply with Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon during the cabinet meeting over the AG’s demands that he explain why he will not fire Ben Gvir over his alleged improper interference in the Israel Police.
The Times of Israel Community.