Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued his first full statement on the decision to phase out American military aid to Israel, explaining that the move has always been part of his vision and that Israel's economic strength now makes full independence possible.
In a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu said that ending US military assistance has been a long-standing goal, and that the timing of the shift, coordinated with Washington, reflects Israel's economic resilience. "In 1996, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel would gradually end American financial aid, which stood at $1.2 billion. He kept that promise. Thirty years later, Prime Minister Netanyahu says that Israel's economy is strong enough to gradually end American military aid as well."
The statement emphasized that Israel's economy has reached a stage that allows greater independence and reliance on its own internal strength: "Today, Israel has a strong and stable economy, and Israel and the United States are taking a significant step in the transition from aid to partnership." Netanyahu laid out the direction in May, in an interview on CBS's "60 Minutes," when he said: "I want to gradually reduce American financial aid to zero."
Netanyahu also addressed recent remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said that Israel is a wealthy country that no longer needs aid and is entering a new phase of partnership with the United States, and that the move was an Israeli initiative rather than an American directive: "US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed this in Paris, saying it was 'a step that the Israelis themselves proposed to us.'"
The statement concluded by describing the shift as a sign of a new and strengthened phase in relations between the two countries: "The joint move by Prime Minister Netanyahu and US President Trump demonstrates the strength of the alliance between the nations and its ability to adapt to changing circumstances."
