Netanyahu says he wants Israel to do without U.S. military aid within a decade

The Israeli prime minister said he wants his country to be able to do without U.S. military aid within ten years, in an interview with the British weekly The Economist published Friday evening.

“During my recent visit with [U.S. President Donald] Trump, I said that we greatly appreciate the military aid the United States has provided over the years,” he explained. “But we, too, have reached maturity. We have developed extraordinary capabilities, and our economy will soon, within a decade, reach $1 trillion. So I wish to gradually reduce military aid over the coming years.”

Israel’s defense industry, in a near-constant state of war since the country’s founding in 1948, has experienced steady growth for years. Nevertheless, Israel receives about $3.8 billion annually from the United States for weapons purchases under a deal signed in 2016, which came into effect in 2019 and runs until 2028. This amounts to roughly 15 percent of the Israeli defense budget, according to national media. In addition, Israel has received emergency military assistance, notably for its air defense systems, including the Iron Dome.

In 2021, the U.S. State Department noted that more than $125 billion had been provided to Israel in military aid since 1948. In mid-May, as relations between Netanyahu and Trump appeared strained, the Israeli prime minister had already suggested that Israel should eventually “wean itself” off U.S. military assistance, without offering further details.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the first sitting Israeli prime minister to be prosecuted while in office, has consistently maintained his innocence and said he intends to seek reelection in 2026, for legislative elections that have not yet been scheduled.