Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview aired on CBS that he would like Israel to eliminate U.S. military financial support within the next decade as his government works to deepen ties with Gulf states.
"I want to draw down to zero the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have," Netanyahu told the network's "60 Minutes" program. He stated that Israel receives about $3.8 billion in U.S. military aid each year. He also noted the agreement that has the United States providing a total of $38 billion in military assistance to Israel for the 2018-2028 period.
Netanyahu said it may be appropriate to reconsider the financial elements of the U.S.-Israeli relationship now. "It is absolutely the right time to possibly reset the U.S.-Israeli financial relationship," he said, adding that he did not want to wait for the next U.S. Congress to begin that process. "I don’t want to wait for the next Congress," he told CBS. "I want to start now."
The prime minister framed the proposal in the context of expanding diplomatic and strategic ties with Gulf states, presenting reduced dependence on American military funding as a goal to be pursued alongside those regional developments.
The longer-standing backdrop to his comments is that congressional support for Israel's military assistance has traditionally been bipartisan. However, Netanyahu acknowledged that backing among lawmakers and the public has become less firm in the wake of the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023. He pointed to that erosion of support as part of the environment in which he is proposing a reset of the financial relationship.
Netanyahu’s remarks combine a fiscal objective - eliminating the U.S. financial contribution over roughly a decade - with a diplomatic rationale tied to evolving regional relationships. He expressed a desire to begin the process immediately rather than postponing it until potential future shifts in the U.S. legislative calendar.
Summary
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS he wants to phase out the American financial component of military cooperation within about ten years, while strengthening ties with Gulf states. Israel currently receives about $3.8 billion per year in U.S. military assistance, and the United States agreed to provide $38 billion in total from 2018 to 2028. Netanyahu said now could be the right time to reset the financial relationship and that he does not want to wait for the next U.S. Congress.