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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is backing a new congressional resolution that calls for phasing out U.S. military aid to Israel and replacing it with a joint strategic partnership between the longtime allies.<\/p>\n
The resolution, introduced Wednesday by Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) after a meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem last week, calls<\/a> for ending the current military aid framework and replacing it with expanded cooperation on defense technology, intelligence sharing, weapons development, and strategic planning.<\/span><\/p>\n The proposal reflects a position Netanyahu has increasingly embraced over the past year: that Israel should reduce its dependence on American military assistance and build a more self-sufficient defense industry while maintaining a close alliance with Washington.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I said in our meeting in Jerusalem on May 27, 2026, Israel deeply appreciates the financial component of the military aid the United States has generously provided us over the years,\u201d Netanyahu wrote in a letter<\/a> endorsing the legislation. \u201cThe time has now arrived for us to move from aid recipient to partner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Israel receives roughly $3.8 billion annually in U.S. military aid under a long-standing memorandum of understanding between the two countries. Most of that funding must be spent on American-made military equipment and defense systems.<\/span><\/p>\n Stutzman said the resolution would mark \u201ca new era\u201d in the U.S.-Israel alliance.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAbove all, the United States and Israel stand together against totalitarianism and for freedom,\u201d Stutzman said in a statement. \u201cWe are bound by the shared Western values that built both our nations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis resolution affirms that the United States stands with Israel not out of obligation, but out of shared strength and shared strategic interest. Israel has come of age where our nations should contribute equally and share results equally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Supporters of the move argue the current aid structure no longer reflects Israel\u2019s military and economic strength, noting that Israel is now one of the world\u2019s top arms exporters and spends a larger share of its GDP on defense than nearly every NATO ally. Backers also say the plan aligns with President Donald Trump\u2019s broader foreign policy approach of encouraging allied nations to take greater responsibility for their own defense while maintaining close strategic partnerships with the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n Even U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a decades-long supporter of Israel, suggested this week that the future of the relationship lies beyond traditional aid, arguing that the alliance already delivers significant returns for the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cIsrael receives $3.8 billion but spends far more than that buying U.S. military goods,\u201d Huckabee wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cU.S. also receives intel, tech innovations so that ROI is many times more.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that a future U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding could reflect that shift, writing: \u201cNew MOU w\/ Israel ends aid & will be based on trade.\u201d<\/p>\n Israeli leaders have increasingly argued that dependence on foreign weapons shipments creates vulnerabilities during wartime.\u00a0<\/span>Those concerns intensified after the Biden administration temporarily <\/span>halted a shipment<\/span><\/a> of heavy bombs and threatened to withhold offensive weapons if Israel launched an assault on Rafah. It wasn\u2019t until Trump took office that all of the weapons were <\/span>shipped<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Netanyahu recently <\/span>blamed<\/span><\/a> the embargo for the death of soldiers because of the lack of ammunition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n