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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recalled one of his final conversations with late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday, saying the longtime senator pushed back when Netanyahu proposed eventually ending U.S. military aid to Israel.
“Because he was so concerned with our security, which he believed was your [America’s] security, that he actually fought the prime minister of Israel on keeping America’s aid or actually increasing it, and that tells you what kind of a person this extraordinary, extraordinary friend was,” Netanyahu recalled on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
The South Carolina Republican dominated headlines Sunday after passing away from a “brief and sudden illness.” His unwavering support for allies like Israel and Ukraine remained central to conversations surrounding his impact.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM DEAD AT 71 AFTER ‘BRIEF AND SUDDEN’ ILLNESS, OFFICE SAYS
As Netanyahu recounted his “last” conversation with Graham, he said he assured the longtime Trump ally that Israel had “come of age” with a “robust economy” and the ability to be self-sufficient, but Graham refused to budge.
“[I told him] we can take care of our own — financing our own weapons for the defense of Israel and defense of our common interests with America, so I’m going to phase out… the military support for Israel over a period of years and bring it down to zero. We can do it,'” Netanyahu said.
“He [Graham] went ballistic. He said, ‘No way, you can’t do that.'”
Netanyahu fondly reflected on Graham’s personality, from his keen sense of humor to his “clear and so pointed” manner in more serious times. He described his encounters with Graham as “encouraging,” adding that he will “miss him terribly.”
“I’m not going to compare him to some others, because there are other people who also share this view, and I think many Americans do, because, look, ultimately, this is a tough world. It’s a cruel world. It is changing rapidly. There are many challenges to America’s leadership in the world, which I think has to be maintained, because without America — I think there would be no liberty in the world, and we’d have a dark age returning and descending on us,” he said.
“Lindsey Graham understood it perfectly.”
