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In what could mark a turning point in Israeli defense policy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told lawmakers that Israel should begin to reduce its dependency on U.S. military aid, a financial lifeline that has long been seen as a cornerstone of the alliance between Washington and Jerusalem.
Speaking behind closed doors to Israel’s Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Netanyahu said, “I believe the time has come to wean ourselves off American military assistance,” according to Israeli newspaper Maariv.
The remark comes amid growing friction between the two allies. Relations have cooled significantly in recent months, with Israeli officials increasingly frustrated by what they view as the U.S. taking key regional decisions without consulting them. Among the concerns: backchannel negotiations between Washington and Hamas over Israeli-American hostages, a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthi rebels that left Israel feeling exposed, and a high-profile visit by former President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, with Israel noticeably left off the itinerary.
Fueling the tension are reports that Trump has cut off direct communication with Netanyahu and is pressuring Arab states to accept what Israeli officials describe as a dangerously weak deal with Hamas. Adding insult to injury, the U.S. is reportedly accepting a $400 million Boeing luxury jet from Qatar, something critics have dubbed a “bribe in the sky.”
Netanyahu’s remarks suggest that Israel may finally be reevaluating that long-standing dependency. The annual $4 billion in U.S. military aid has helped fund everything from missile defense systems to aircraft procurement, but it has also come with strings attached, conditions that some in Israel now see as limiting.
Security analysts point out that diversifying military partnerships, investing in homegrown technology, and expanding defense manufacturing could give Israel more flexibility in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape.
