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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel plans to reduce its dependence on American military aid within the next decade, aiming eventually for complete independence from U.S. military support as the country develops its own defense capabilities and economy.
"In my visit to President Trump, I said we deeply appreciate the military aid that America has given us over the years. But we too have come of age, we've developed incredible capacities and our economy will soon, within a decade, reach $1 trillion. So I want to taper off the military aid within the next 10 years," Netanyahu told The Economist in an interview published Friday.
Asked if tapering "down to zero" meant complete independence, Netanyahu said: "Yes."
Netanyahu told U.S. President Donald Trump during a recent visit that Israel "very deeply" appreciates "the military aid that America has given us over the years, but here too we've come of age and we've developed incredible capacities."
Washington has approved the sale of tens of millions of dollars in military equipment to aid Israel, with close defense ties between the countries dating back decades.
Tel Aviv receives approximately $3.8 billion in annual financial aid from the United States for arms purchases under an agreement signed in 2016, which entered into force in 2019 and is valid until 2028.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) think-tank, Israel has received more than $300 billion in military and economic aid since its founding in 1948, adjusted for inflation.
Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since its founding, receiving over $300 billion (adjusted for inflation) in total economic and military assistance. The United States provided Israel considerable economic assistance from 1971 to 2007, but nearly all U.S. aid today goes to support Israel's military.
Israel is among a short list of "major non-NATO allies" and also has privileged access to the most advanced U.S. military platforms and technologies.
Israel is also a leading buyer of U.S. weapons systems via traditional arms sales. In 2016, the U.S. and Israeli governments signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for 10 years through September 2028 that provides $38 billion in military aid, $33 billion in grants to buy military equipment, and $5 billion for missile defense systems.
In March 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced accelerated military assistance to Israel, saying, "I have signed a declaration to use emergency authorities to expedite the delivery of approximately $4 billion in military assistance to Israel. The decision to reverse the Biden Administration's partial arms embargo, which wrongly withheld a number of weapons and ammunition from Israel, is yet another sign that Israel has no greater ally in the White House than President Trump."
"Since taking office, the Trump Administration has approved nearly $12 billion in major FMS sales to Israel," Rubio stated on March 1, 2025.
In 2024, U.S. military aid to Israel soared to its highest level in decades during Israel's ongoing war with Palestine.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, the United States has enacted legislation providing at least $16.3 billion in direct military aid to Israel.
The aid was authorized in three pieces of legislation: a supplemental appropriations act in April 2024, which provided $8.7 billion, and appropriations acts in 2024 and 2025, which provided $3.8 billion per year in line with the MoU. Of the total, $6.7 billion is for missile defense.
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