Netanyahu Sets Sights on Ending US Military Aid to Israel – Report

“I think we will get to a situation in which we will wean ourselves from this, as we did with the economic aid.”

By Ben Rappaport, United with Israel and Sveta Listratov, TPS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that Israel is looking to “wean” itself from US defense aid.

According to Ma’ariv, Netanyahu, speaking at a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting, noted that Israel receives close to 4 billion dollars annually from the US for defense.

“I think we will get to a situation in which we will wean ourselves from this, as we did with the economic aid,” he reportedly said.

The prime minister’s words come amid continuing discussions between Israel and the US regarding future US military aid to Israel.

Last week, TPS reported that Israeli officials are laying the groundwork to phase out the longstanding US foreign aid model for a new framework based on joint investments, innovation and equal partnership.

“I believe Israel must be an equal among equals,” Likud MK Amit Halevi, who is spearheading the initiative, told TPS.

“Israel must first and foremost be a sovereign state that respects its sovereignty and breaks free from any framework or system that enables or imposes dictates on its policy,” insisted Halevi, who chairs the Knesset subcommittee on National Security Doctrine and Force Buildup.

Under the current Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed in 2016 and is in effect from 2018-2028, Israel receives $3.8 billion annually. While $500 million is earmarked for missile defense cooperation, the rest of the money is used entirely within the US defense industry.

“This isn’t about walking away from America. It’s about maturing the alliance,” Halevi said. “About freeing ourselves from structural pressures. About standing tall and saying—we are equals.”

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