Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel should aim to end its reliance on U.S. military assistance over the next 10 years, arguing that Israel’s economy and defense industry are strong enough to move toward greater self-sufficiency while keeping the U.S.-Israel alliance close.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with The Economist published in January 2026 that he wants to "taper off" U.S. military aid "within the next 10 years," describing the move as part of an effort to make Israel "as independent as possible."
Netanyahu said he raised the issue during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Dec. 29, 2025, telling him Israel "deeply appreciates" American support but has "come of age" economically. Netanyahu also said Israel’s economy could reach roughly $1 trillion within the coming decade.
Israel currently receives about $3.8 billion a year in U.S. security assistance under a 10-year U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding running from fiscal year 2019 through fiscal year 2028. Under that framework, $3.3 billion is provided annually in Foreign Military Financing, with an additional $500 million a year for missile defense programs. The arrangement also phases out the portion Israel has historically been allowed to spend inside Israel—known as offshore procurement—falling to zero in fiscal year 2028.
Supporters of Netanyahu’s approach argue that reducing reliance on American assistance would help shield Israel from political swings in Washington and remove a recurring point of contention in U.S. domestic debate. Amir Avivi, a retired general who chairs the Israel Defense Security Forum, said Israel wants a "partnership" with the United States rather than a relationship defined by aid, calling Israel a regional power.
The debate has been sharpened by periodic disputes over weapons deliveries. During the 2014 Gaza conflict, the Obama administration suspended a shipment of Hellfire missiles to Israel as the White House tightened oversight of transfers. In 2024, the Biden administration paused a shipment of heavy bombs—particularly 2,000-pound munitions—over concerns about their use in densely populated areas of Gaza, while U.S. officials insisted most other arms shipments were continuing.
Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman, from the Religious Zionist Party, has argued that U.S. military funding should be viewed less as "aid" than as a strategic arrangement that also benefits American defense manufacturers, citing Israeli battlefield experience and joint development as a form of return.
Netanyahu’s comments came as Israel increased efforts to expand domestic production capacity for munitions. Netanyahu has publicly promoted a long-term investment plan—reported by The Daily Wire as a $108 billion, decade-long initiative—to strengthen Israel’s ability to supply its own ammunition and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a longtime supporter of Israel, welcomed the concept of Israeli self-sufficiency and suggested the transition could be accelerated, arguing the money could ultimately be redirected to U.S. defense needs.
Netanyahu has advocated for reducing other forms of U.S. assistance before: he argued in 1996 that Israel had grown strong enough to begin moving away from economic aid. Today, he is framing a similar shift in military assistance as a way to preserve the alliance while recasting it as cooperation between more equal partners.
