Rubio confirms Israeli proposal to end military aid, citing the country’s economic strength.
By Shula Rosen
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced plans to gradually end American military aid to Israel, saying the country’s economy is strong enough to sustain its defense needs without continued US financial assistance.
The proposal follows a similar initiative 30 years ago, when Netanyahu pledged to phase out $1.2 billion in annual American economic assistance to Israel. That commitment was subsequently fulfilled.
Netanyahu now wants to extend the same approach to military assistance, marking another stage in the economic relationship between Israel and the United States.
The prime minister outlined his intentions in May during an interview with CBS‘s “60 Minutes,” saying, “I want to gradually reduce American financial aid to zero.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the initiative this week in Paris, describing it as “a step that the Israelis themselves proposed to us.”
The proposal is being advanced jointly by Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump as the two countries seek to shift their relationship away from financial assistance and toward a broader partnership.
Israel’s current economic position is central to Netanyahu’s proposal.
The prime minister maintains that the country’s strong and stable economy provides sufficient financial capacity to begin gradually eliminating its dependence on American military assistance.
His earlier decision to end US economic aid established a precedent for reducing Israel’s reliance on Washington, although the current proposal concerns military assistance rather than the direct economic support phased out three decades ago.
Rubio’s remarks in Paris confirmed that the initiative originated with Israel rather than being imposed by Washington. His comments also indicated that the proposal has been discussed between the two governments.
The planned transition would represent a significant change in the longstanding financial arrangements between the countries, replacing the existing military assistance framework with a relationship centered on partnership.
Neither a timetable for eliminating military assistance nor specific details of the proposed transition were announced.
The initiative reflects Netanyahu’s stated objective of reducing American financial support to zero while maintaining the strategic relationship between Israel and the United States.
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