Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with The Economist magazine that he hopes to gradually reduce Israel's dependence on US military aid over the next decade, as Israel has reached a point of "economic and security maturity.".
Netanyahu emphasized that Israel should not depend on foreign military aid, but did not state a timetable for when Israel would achieve full independence.
""I want to reduce military aid within the next ten years," Netanyahu said.
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When asked if this was a reduction to zero, he replied: "Yes.".
He said that during his recent visit to the United States, he told President Donald Trump that Israel greatly appreciates American aid over the years, but noted that the country has developed advanced security capabilities and reached strategic maturity.
Last December, Netanyahu declared that Israel would invest approximately 350 billion shekels in developing a significant independent arms industry, with the aim of reducing dependence on other countries.
At the same time, Israeli defense exports increased by approximately 131.3% in the past year, following large contracts in the field of defense technologies, including air defense systems that are sold under huge contracts to various countries around the world.
American aid to Israel is anchored in a memorandum of understanding signed in 2016 between the governments of Israel and the United States, for a period of ten years - until September 2028.
As part of the agreement, Israel is granted aid totaling $38 billion - for the entire period - of which $33 billion is in grants for the purchase of military equipment and $5 billion for missile defense systems.
