Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said US financial assistance to Israel is “like welfare” and stated he wants to gradually discontinue it over the next decade. His remarks come in the wake of the escalation tensions between Tel Aviv and Washington respecting the Iranian diplomatic approach.
According to Netanyahu, Israel receives about $3.8 billion in US military aid a year. This aligns with a total 10-year agreement in which the US consented to provide a total of $38 billion in military aid to Israel from 2018 to 2028.
On Tuesday evening, Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 14 broadcast: “I want to stop US aid. It is like welfare. I do not want it.”
“US funding represents a small part of gross domestic product and Israel now has enough financial capacity to cover the amount entirely from its own resources,” he continued.
Netanyahu believes that Israel’s economy is no longer smaller and is now financially independent enough to cover its costs. He further clarified that the fading endorsement for Israel in the United States correlates almost 100% with the exponential growth of social media.
Keeping in view the current scenario, he said several countries which he did not identify have primarily manipulated social media in a way that hurt us badly, though he believes in restricting freedom of expression.
When asked whether Israel should cease receiving US aid, Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges related to crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, replied: “ Yes”.
The US is a key ally of Israel. Notably, agreement covering the 2019-2028 period, under which US aid to Israel will total about $38 billion.
Prolonged debates between Tel Aviv and Washington have recently increased over the ongoing negotiations with Iran and the memorandum of understanding between the two sides.
Additionally, Israeli officials said that the Trump administration excluded Tel Aviv from its talks with Tehran and did not fully take Israel’s interests into account.
