Caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Wednesday that Israel would gradually end its reliance on American military assistance, setting out a timetable that differs from US President Donald Trump’s declaration that the aid would stop by the end of 2026. It was the office’s second statement on the issue since Trump announced the cutoff.
The office presented the proposed change as an initiative shared by Netanyahu and Trump, saying Israel’s economic strength would allow the relationship to move from financial assistance toward partnership. Netanyahu, however, has repeatedly described ending military aid over the next decade, rather than within the remaining weeks of this year.
To explain that approach, the office pointed to Netanyahu’s 1996 pledge to gradually eliminate American economic assistance, which it said then amounted to $1.2 billion. It said he fulfilled that commitment and, 30 years later, considers Israel’s economy strong enough to follow a similar course with military support. The statement also cited his May interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, in which he outlined his intention to reduce American financial aid gradually to zero.
The latest statement followed comments earlier this week by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said Trump believes Israel has sufficient wealth to purchase American weapons without relying on aid. Rubio said Israel could stop receiving assistance by the end of the year if it chose to do so. He also described the shift as a proposal that originated with the Israelis.
The existing 10-year memorandum of understanding governing US military assistance provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually and expires at the end of September 2028. Trump used a figure of $4 billion a year when he announced on November 3 that payments would cease before the end of 2026. The announcement reportedly surprised Israeli security and financial officials.
Speaking by phone to Fox News, Trump said he and Netanyahu had reached an agreement months earlier to stop the payments. He portrayed Israel as a successful country that no longer needed the money and said it supported the decision. Trump also praised Israel as an ally and said the United States would help if it needed assistance.
Trump made the announcement on the morning of the US congressional midterm elections, amid controversy over assistance to Israel in both American political parties. His remarks combined a firm year-end deadline with assurances about the countries’ continuing alliance.
In its initial response on November 6, Netanyahu’s office did not deny Trump’s announcement. It emphasized the bipartisan history of US military aid and said Israel had used the assistance to protect itself and confront enemies threatening America and the West. Wednesday’s statement again stressed the strength of the alliance while explicitly describing the withdrawal from aid as gradual.
