Newsletters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel must achieve "arms independence" and reduce its reliance on U.S. military support, as billions of dollars in American aid are set to expire in 2028, according to a statement released by his office.
"I deeply appreciate the support we have received from our American friends, but we need to break free from dependency and build our own independent armaments network," Netanyahu told reserve officers on a training course in the occupied West Bank.
"Today I say: We need our own independent armaments network. We must manufacture our own armaments," he added.
Speaking separately to reserve officers, Netanyahu put the point even more directly.
"I want arms independence," he said.
"I deeply appreciate the support we have received, and that I have also secured over the years, from our American friends. Today I say: we must have our own independent armaments system. We must produce our own weapons," Netanyahu added.
In September, Netanyahu had acknowledged that Israel faces "a kind of isolation" that could last for years, saying Israel would develop its own weapons industry and become "Athens and super Sparta combined."
Under a 10-year memorandum of understanding signed in 2018 and in force since 2019, Israel receives $3.8 billion a year in U.S. military aid, much of which Israel is required to spend on American arms manufacturers.
The funding accounts for around 15% of Israel's defense budget.
The agreement runs until 2028 and will need to be renegotiated before it expires.
Since its founding in 1948, Israel has received more than $300 billion, adjusted for inflation, in U.S. economic and military assistance, according to figures from the Council on Foreign Relations, more than any other country has received since 1946.
In early June, Israel's Defense Ministry announced the launch of formal talks with the Trump administration on a new security cooperation framework to replace the current memorandum of understanding (MoU).
Netanyahu has previously said he wanted to end Israel's reliance on U.S. support. In January, he told The Economist he hoped to achieve this within a decade.
In May, he told U.S. broadcaster CBS that he wanted American support to eventually reach "zero."
In May 2025, during another period of strained relations over Iran, Netanyahu suggested Israel should "wean itself" off U.S. aid.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
