More than 90 percent of Benjamin Netanyahu's campaign money comes from America

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gets more than half of his campaign money from three American families. And that's not all — the U.S. is responsible for more than 90 percent of his total campaign funds.

Netanyahu, the second-longest-serving prime minister of Israel, began his re-election campaign on Monday. He's raised $250,000 in campaign funds, and more than 90 percent of that came from donors in the United States.

"There is a well-established network in the U.S. through the group, American Friends of the Likud, which is connected to people who care about Israel and its future," a Likud party adviser told BuzzFeed. "He doesn't even have to ask and they give. Their pocketbooks are always open for Netanyahu."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Meanwhile, in the U.S., it's against the law to solicit or receive campaign donations from foreigners.