Netanyahu Says Israel Should End Reliance on US Military Aid Within a Decade

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hopes to phase out Israel’s dependence on US military assistance within the next decade as the country works to deepen ties with Gulf states, according to an interview, Jonathan Stempel reported for Reuters.

Support among lawmakers and the American public has weakened since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. (Photo: Israel Self Defense Forces Facebook)

“I want to draw down to zero the US financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have,” Netanyahu said during an appearance on CBS News’ 60 Minutes.

Netanyahu noted that Israel currently receives about $3.8 billion annually in US military aid. The United States previously agreed to provide Israel with $38 billion in military assistance from 2018 through 2028.

He said it was “absolutely” the right time to reconsider the financial relationship between the two allies.

“I don’t want to wait for the next Congress,” Netanyahu told CBS. “I want to start now.”

Israel has historically enjoyed broad bipartisan support in the US Congress for military assistance.

However, support among lawmakers and the American public has weakened since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.

According to a March survey by the Pew Research Center, 60% of US adults viewed Israel unfavorably, while 59% expressed little or no confidence in Netanyahu to handle world affairs.

Both figures were seven percentage points higher than a year earlier.

Netanyahu argued that declining support for Israel in the United States “correlates almost 100% with the geometric rise of social media.”