Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday rejected a report that Jerusalem is pursuing a 20-year U.S. security-aid package, saying his “direction is the exact opposite” and adding that “it’s time to ensure that Israel is independent,” with an announcement expected “very soon.”
In an interview on Australian journalist Erin Molan’s podcast, Netanyahu addressed the report published minutes earlier and told Molan to “follow what I say, not what is put forward in some leaks that are not true,” framing his policy as a shift toward “greater independence.”
Netanyahu tied the stance to his first term as prime minister, recalling that in 1996, he told Congress Israel would phase out economic aid to build a “high-tech, free-market capitalist economy.”
He said he now wants Israel’s arms industry to be “as independent as possible.”
Pressed on whether it is time to cut military aid entirely, he replied: “It’s time to ensure that Israel is independent.”
He noted U.S. support for Israel is a “tiny, tiny, tiny fraction” of what Washington has spent elsewhere in the Middle East and emphasized that roughly 80 percent of assistance is spent in the United States on American-made systems.
The comments came as Israeli and U.S. officials continue quiet, preliminary contacts over the next security framework ahead of the current MOU’s 2028 expiration.
The report said Israeli and U.S. officials have discussed a 20-year framework with “America First” elements — including steering funds into joint R&D in defense tech, AI, and the “Golden Dome” initiative — to appeal to the Trump administration as talks ramp up.
Israeli outlets reported the government is simultaneously examining alternatives to the current aid architecture — the $3.8 billion-per-year memorandum of understanding that expires in 2028 — including models that put more weight on bilateral tech cooperation and joint production over traditional grants.
Separately, officials told i24NEWS that Israel is considering a gradual reduction of American military aid, echoing Netanyahu’s call for a “much more independent” defense industry.
Marc Zell, chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel, welcomed the direction in response to the Axios report, urging Israel to “wean itself from American military aid altogether — perhaps gradually, but completely — and transition to a purely commercial relationship.”
“True sovereignty and true partnership require Israel to stand on its own feet,” he said.
The discussion has been building for months.
In March, Jewish Insider profiled Likud MK Amit Halevi’s campaign to replace grants with a partnership model centered on cooperative R&D and joint production, arguing that aid “creates a false narrative of dependency” and exposes Israel to political pressure.
In January, the outlet detailed a Knesset subcommittee hearing that examined how changing American politics — and delays in weapons deliveries at the time under the then-Biden administration — should shape Israel’s strategic posture.
In May, it reported Netanyahu telling lawmakers Israel must begin to “wean” itself off U.S. military aid, drawing a line to the 1990s phase-out of economic assistance.
Israeli officials indicated Netanyahu may outline concrete steps toward that independence in the coming weeks.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
