Netanyahu confirms plan to phase out $4 billion in annual US military aid over several years

Trump says aid will end within a year, while Israeli officials point to a longer transition

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel will gradually eliminate US military assistance over several years, citing the country’s economic strength and rejecting President Donald Trump’s assertion that the roughly $4 billion in annual aid would end entirely within the year.

The clarification followed Trump’s remarks during a Fox News interview, in which he outlined a considerably shorter timetable for ending American military funding to Israel.

Netanyahu’s office maintained that the reductions would be implemented in stages, consistent with earlier discussions about initially cutting assistance by half before eliminating it over the next decade.

Officials pointed to Netanyahu’s previous commitment to end American civilian economic assistance as a precedent for the proposed military aid reductions.

In 1996, Netanyahu pledged to phase out $1.2 billion in annual US economic assistance, a process Israel completed over the following decade.

The Prime Minister’s Office also referred to Netanyahu’s interview with CBS‘s “60 Minutes” in May, when he publicly outlined his intention to end Israel’s dependence on American financial assistance.

“I want to gradually reduce American financial aid to zero,” Netanyahu said at the time.

The proposal was initiated by Israel, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who addressed the issue during remarks in Paris this week.

Rubio described the planned reductions as “a step the Israelis themselves proposed to us.”

Netanyahu’s office argued that Israel’s economic strength and resilience have made continued direct American financial assistance unnecessary, presenting the transition as a reflection of the country’s ability to support itself.

However, the proposal drew criticism from Israeli opposition figures, including Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Golan, who warned that eliminating US military assistance during a multi-front conflict could seriously jeopardize Israel’s national security.

The opposition leaders also challenged the government’s handling of the decision, questioning why Israelis first learned about the proposed changes through media reports rather than a public announcement by their government.

Benjamin NetanyahuIsrael aidTrump administration