From the Liveblog of
Friday, October 23, 2026
Netanyahu: Israel needs to prep ‘alternate economy’ to circumvent any global sanctions
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel should prepare its economy and banking sector for the possibility of harsh global sanctions.
In an interview aired today with the Channel 10 economic TV network, Netanyahu is asked how concerned he is about such sanctions affecting Israel’s economy, pointing to broad UK sanctions on settlements announced last month.
“Of course I’m concerned,” says Netanyahu, suggesting that “tens of billions of US aid dollars to the defense budget — get used to it — won’t keep coming. Because America has changed. Not because Israel has. It’s over and it will be over; it’s just a question of time.”
Netanyahu has previously said that Israel should work on phasing out its dependence on US military aid.
In addition, Netanyahu says during the interview, “you have to understand that there could be sanctions. And banking sanctions mean you need to organize an alternate economy that can circumvent them,” pointing to “currencies that get around this,” including the blockchain cryptocurrency network.
The blockchain is “one of the” options Israel is exploring to circumvent such possible sanctions, “and I’ve already asked for a plan to be prepared for that,” Netanyahu adds.
The Times of Israel Community.