Standing before a class of reserve combat officers at Kibbutz Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an unusually blunt assessment of Israel's strategic posture, calling on the country to end its dependence on American weapons systems and build an independent military-industrial capacity.
"I very much appreciate the support we have received from our American friends," Netanyahu told the officers, "but we need to free ourselves from that dependence and build our own independent armament system. We are producing our own weapons."
The remarks, delivered at a meeting with a reserve combat officers' course last Thursday, come at a moment of intensified focus on Israel's long-term defense autonomy following the country's direct military confrontation with Iran. Netanyahu framed the push for arms independence not as a repudiation of the U.S.-Israel relationship but as a strategic imperative driven by the realities of an extended regional conflict.
"Right now we are standing against Iran and its proxies," Netanyahu said. "We have struck them hard. This is not over, but it depends on our strength. Where we will be in 30 years depends on our strength. And so what we are doing right now is building superior power."
The prime minister's call for weapons independence reflects a tension that has run through the U.S.-Israel relationship throughout the current conflict, as Washington has at various points conditioned or delayed arms transfers to Israel. Netanyahu has publicly chafed at those constraints while maintaining the alliance's public face.
"To free ourselves from dependence, to build more and more power, to introduce more and more technology, to train more and more generations of commanders like you," Netanyahu told the officers, "because that is what will determine in the end where we are. With God's help and with your help, we will be in a good place."
