Netanyahu Calls for Ten-Year Phaseout of U.S. Military Aid

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel, describing the assistance as unnecessary welfare and proposing a decade-long phaseout. Netanyahu made the remarks in a televised interview with Israel's Channel 14 on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, arguing the country's economy is now strong enough to finance its own defense needs.

Netanyahu stated he wants the process of reducing aid to begin this year. "I want to stop American aid. It's like welfare. I don't want it," he said. He proposed a gradual reduction over ten years, contending that U.S. funding now represents only a small fraction of Israel's gross domestic product and that the country can cover the amount with its own resources.

The United States provides Israel with approximately $3.8 billion in annual military assistance under a ten-year Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2016, which runs through September 2028. The agreement is the largest single pledge of military assistance in U.S. history, and Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. aid since World War II. Officials from both nations are expected to begin talks on a successor agreement in the coming months.