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Netanyahu Vows to End U.S. Aid Reliance
(MENAFN) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared his intention to "wean" Israel off American financial assistance within the next ten years, while attributing a sharp erosion in U.S. public support for his country to coordinated social media "manipulation" rather than the ongoing war in Gaza.
The remarks, delivered in an interview aired on a TV channel Sunday, come as Israel remains the single largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since World War II — having received upwards of $300 billion in combined economic and military support from Washington since 1948. Under a decade-long agreement inked in 2016, the U.S. committed $38 billion in military assistance through 2028, including $5 billion earmarked for the Iron Dome missile defense system. American aid accounts for approximately 16% of Israel's total military budget.
When pressed by the interviewer on whether the time had come for Israel to "reexamine and possibly reset" its financial ties with Washington, Netanyahu did not hesitate.
"Absolutely. I've said this to President Trump. I've said it to our own people. Their jaws drop," he replied.
"I want to draw down to zero the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have," the prime minister said, stating that the process should "start now" and be completed "over the next ten years."
Netanyahu acknowledged awareness of Israel's deteriorating image among the American public. A recent Pew poll found that six in ten Americans hold a very or somewhat unfavorable view of Israel — a rise of seven percentage points from the previous year and nearly 20 points since 2022. However, the Israeli leader flatly rejected any suggestion that the war in Gaza had "contributed to this negative impression of Israel," pinning the blame squarely on foreign-backed disinformation campaigns.
"Israel is besieged on the media front, on the propaganda front, and we've not done well on the propaganda war," he said.
"We have several countries that basically manipulated social media with bot farms with fake addresses, to break the American sympathy to Israel."
The broader context paints a stark picture. More than 71,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza, itself triggered by the deadly Hamas raid of October 7, 2023. Israeli military operations extending into Lebanon and Iran have compounded civilian casualties, drawing mounting criticism from across the American political spectrum — including prominent voices such as Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Candace Owens.
On Capitol Hill, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders filed three resolutions in March seeking to block nearly $660 million in arms transfers to Israel, citing polling data showing that three-quarters of Democrats and two-thirds of independents oppose continued U.S. weapons shipments to the country.
The remarks, delivered in an interview aired on a TV channel Sunday, come as Israel remains the single largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since World War II — having received upwards of $300 billion in combined economic and military support from Washington since 1948. Under a decade-long agreement inked in 2016, the U.S. committed $38 billion in military assistance through 2028, including $5 billion earmarked for the Iron Dome missile defense system. American aid accounts for approximately 16% of Israel's total military budget.
When pressed by the interviewer on whether the time had come for Israel to "reexamine and possibly reset" its financial ties with Washington, Netanyahu did not hesitate.
"Absolutely. I've said this to President Trump. I've said it to our own people. Their jaws drop," he replied.
"I want to draw down to zero the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have," the prime minister said, stating that the process should "start now" and be completed "over the next ten years."
Netanyahu acknowledged awareness of Israel's deteriorating image among the American public. A recent Pew poll found that six in ten Americans hold a very or somewhat unfavorable view of Israel — a rise of seven percentage points from the previous year and nearly 20 points since 2022. However, the Israeli leader flatly rejected any suggestion that the war in Gaza had "contributed to this negative impression of Israel," pinning the blame squarely on foreign-backed disinformation campaigns.
"Israel is besieged on the media front, on the propaganda front, and we've not done well on the propaganda war," he said.
"We have several countries that basically manipulated social media with bot farms with fake addresses, to break the American sympathy to Israel."
The broader context paints a stark picture. More than 71,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza, itself triggered by the deadly Hamas raid of October 7, 2023. Israeli military operations extending into Lebanon and Iran have compounded civilian casualties, drawing mounting criticism from across the American political spectrum — including prominent voices such as Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Candace Owens.
On Capitol Hill, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders filed three resolutions in March seeking to block nearly $660 million in arms transfers to Israel, citing polling data showing that three-quarters of Democrats and two-thirds of independents oppose continued U.S. weapons shipments to the country.
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