In DC meetings, Netanyahu reiterated desire to wean Israel off US aid, says official

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held separate conversations yesterday with US Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, during which he again raised his desire to gradually wean Israel off of US aid within 10 years.

“I want to move from aid to partnership,” a senior Israeli official explains in a briefing with reporters.

The current memorandum of understanding between the US and Israel grants Israel $3.8 billion annually, but expires in 2028, several months before the end of Trump’s second term in office.

For the next MOU — which the sides are beginning to negotiate ְ– Netanyahu envisions gradually zeroing out the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grants that currently stand at $3.3 billion annually, while maintaining some of the Ballistic Missile Defense aid, which currently stands at $500 million annually.

Netanyahu also spoke to the top Trump officials about creating a new joint US-Israel fund of roughly $16 billion that would go toward research and development of new weapons systems, the senior official says.

Republican lawmakers have told Netanyahu they are worried about being seen as anti-Israel by supporting the zeroing out of US aid to Israel, so the premier told them that he would be the one to lead this initiative, the official recounts.

Netanyahu recognizes the necessity of adopting this approach in light of souring views on Israel among both parties, the official says, adding that Israel does not want its future security to be dependent on politics in Washington.

Accordingly, Netanyahu has also instructed Israel’s defense sector to develop its own fighter jet within 10 years, even if it may not be as stealthy as the US-made F-35.