There is a Yiddish expression with many variations that is transliterated as “ver es hat di gelt makht di gezetsn” loosely translated as “He who has the money makes the rules.” Or, as Tevye sang in Fiddler on the Roof, “When you’re rich, they think you really know!”

I was reminded of this today when I read that Israel’s Ministry of Communications removed a clause from a draft communications law that would have required foreign streaming services to transfer part of their revenue in Israel toward the production of locally produced content. Why? Because a directive to do so came through from the White House. “He who has the money makes the rules.”

A new broadcasting law currently being debated by a Knesset committee dealing with such issues seeks to impose on Israeli broadcasters a number of new regulations. One of those aims to subject international streaming companies such as Netflix, Apple, Disney+ and HBO Max, currently operating in Israel with minimal regulation, to partial regulatory oversight.

One provision that the streaming companies seem to be unhappy about is a requirement that any “international content provider” such as those listed, generating more than NIS 40 million in annual revenue in Israel, would be required to invest 6.5% of that revenue in financing or producing local premium content.

In other words, those companies operating here and who are creating significant profits for themselves by doing so would be required to give a small part of their revenues back to Israeli industry so as to create a more level playing field between Israeli companies and international players. The result would be to increase, by millions of shekels, investment in original productions by Israeli creators.

Removing this provision, it turns out, was not the choice of the Ministry. According to Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi, “Our professional position remains that it should be included in the law, but there is a political decision by the Prime Minister that it be removed.”

In Karhi’s words, “There was a strong desire to hold discussions, and I tried to talk with all the relevant parties, with officials in the Prime Minister’s Office, the American Embassy, and with everyone who approached us on this matter. The answer was unequivocal: the Prime Minister decided to remove it because it was a demand that came from the president of the United States.”

Once again, “He who has the money makes the rules.”

First of all, it should come as no surprise that the White House made such a demand. Netflix, Apple, Disney+ and HBO Max, all of whom stand to lose income if the law is passed as written, are huge political and financial supporters of President Trump.

Based on reporting by Axios,

According to 2026 reports, Donald Trump has purchased $1-2 million in bonds from Netflix following a proposed merger deal with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Apple itself is not reported to have made direct corporate donations to Trump. However, Apple CEO Tim Cook donated $1 million personally to Trump’s 2025 inauguration committee.

In 2024–2025, Disney and its subsidiary ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit by paying $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library and covering $1 million of his legal fees.

Similar to Netflix, Donald Trump purchased over $500,000 in bonds for Warner Bros. Discovery (the parent of HBO Max) in late 2025/early 2026.

As we all recall, the heads of all of these media outlets were seated in places of honor at Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president in January, 2025. So, there is no surprise at all that he would advocate on their behalf with any country allied with the US and benefitting from that relationship.

Secondly, while it may not come as a shock that the US President wants to take care of his friends, as it were, there is also the issue of treating Israel like the 51st state rather than as a sovereign entity.

On that topic, MK Efrat Rayten recently opined: “The most shocking thing is that the US president is determining broadcasting law here in the Knesset. What are we even sitting here for?”

Effectively, she was acknowledging that in so many ways, much more than most of us can even imagine, the US now holds sway over a multitude of our activities over and above those specifically related to defense operations.

Our government should be watchful for indications of governmental overreach by the United States, as grateful as we may be for their being on our side, as it were, and supporting our dominant military position in this region. If we are not careful, we may, indeed, end up as nothing more than a vassal state of the US, a situation which would clearly be to our detriment.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)