Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel aims to gradually reduce its dependence on U.S. military aid over the next decade, citing the country’s growing defence capabilities and maturity as a military power.
In an interview published on Friday, Netanyahu said Israel should not remain reliant on foreign military assistance and expressed his intention to “taper off” American military aid within the next 10 years. When asked whether that would mean reducing assistance to zero, he responded in the affirmative.
Israel currently benefits from a 10-year memorandum of understanding signed with the United States in 2016, which runs through September 2028. Under the agreement, Israel receives $38 billion in military assistance, including $33 billion in grants for military equipment and $5 billion allocated for missile defence programmes.
Netanyahu noted that Israel’s defence sector has expanded significantly in recent years. Israeli defence exports rose by 13 percent last year, driven by major international contracts for advanced defence technologies, including multi-layered aerial defence systems.
He said he conveyed Israel’s position during a recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, expressing deep appreciation for decades of American military support while emphasising that Israel has “come of age” and developed substantial independent capabilities.
In December, Netanyahu announced plans for Israel to invest approximately 350 billion shekels (about $110 billion) in building a stronger domestic arms industry. The initiative aims to further reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and strengthen long-term strategic autonomy.
While no fixed timeline has been set for ending U.S. military aid entirely, Netanyahu’s remarks signal a strategic shift toward defence self-sufficiency alongside continued cooperation with key allies.
