Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he plans to reduce his country’s dependence on U.S. military aid.
During an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Netanyahu said he wanted to reduce American aid down to zero over the next decade.
“I’ve said this to President Trump. I’ve said it to our own people.”
“Their jaws dropped, but I said I want to draw down to zero the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have, because we receive 3.8 billion dollars a year.”
“I think that it’s time that we weaned ourselves from the remaining military support,” he continued. “I want to start now.”
Israel currently receives roughly $3.8 billion annually under a 10-year agreement signed in 2016 during the Obama administration.
The deal committed the United States to providing Israel with $38 billion in military assistance through 2028.
The funding has helped Israel purchase American-made weapons systems including F-35 fighter jets, precision-guided munitions, missile interceptorr and air defense technology.
The question of U.S. aid to Israel has become a political flashpoint following the Gaza war and the wider regional conflict involving Iran and Hezbollah.
Within the GOP, figures such as Rep. Thomas Massie and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have openly questioned why American taxpayers continue sending billions of dollars overseas while the U.S. faces soaring debt and domestic crises at home.
On the left, anti-Israel sentiment has surged inside the Democratic Party following their military campaign in Gaza.
Hellbound and Down 