Netanyahu Says Israel Should Eventually End Reliance On US Military Aid
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he wants to fundamentally reshape the financial relationship between the United States and Israel by eventually phasing out American military aid entirely.
During an interview on “60 Minutes,” Netanyahu told CBS News correspondent Major Garrett that Israel should begin reducing its dependence on US assistance immediately and work toward eliminating it altogether over the next decade.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells 60 Minutes he wants Israel to eventually stop relying on U.S. military aid: “It’s time that we weaned ourselves from the remaining military support.” https://t.co/mEN4CWeXMW pic.twitter.com/LIwJKrfMOQ
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) May 10, 2026
Asked whether it was time for Israel to “reexamine and possibly reset” its financial relationship with the United States, Netanyahu answered without hesitation.
“Absolutely,” he said.
Netanyahu revealed that he has already discussed the idea with President Trump as well as with Israeli officials.
“I’ve said this to President Trump, I’ve said it to our own people,” Netanyahu explained. “Their jaws dropped.”
Israel currently receives roughly $3.8 billion annually in military assistance from the United States under long-standing agreements between the two allies.
But Netanyahu argued that Israel should begin transitioning away from that dependence.
“I want to draw down to $0 the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have,” he said.
The Israeli leader emphasized that he does not want to wait years before beginning the process.
“I said let’s start now and do it over the next decade, over the next ten years,” Netanyahu stated. “I don’t want to wait for the next congress, I want to start now, and it could go down very fast.”
The comments mark a significant shift in tone from decades of bipartisan consensus surrounding US support for Israel, which has long been viewed as one of America’s closest allies in the Middle East.
Netanyahu also discussed the ongoing conflict involving Iran and suggested that the joint military campaign carried out by Israel and the United States had already achieved many of its objectives.
“I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over,” he said.
The remarks come amid continued negotiations involving Iran’s nuclear program and heightened tensions throughout the region following months of military conflict and instability in the Strait of Hormuz.
“I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells 60 Minutes about the war in Iran. Netanyahu says highly enriched uranium must be removed from Iran and believes “it can be done physically.” pic.twitter.com/N5XbvzpYa0
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) May 10, 2026