US and Israel: Ending Military Aid

In depth

The United States and Israel are moving toward a gradual end to US military aid to Israel, a step agreed with the Trump administration. The move was presented as an Israeli initiative, and Israel will need to find alternative funding sources: more taxes and less civilian spending. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Israel was the one that proposed the framework.

The Prime Minister's Office said Israel's economy is strong and stable enough to gradually end US military aid, and that the step completes the end of civilian aid that Netanyahu led during his first term in 1996. According to the office, Israel and the United States are taking a significant step in the shift from aid to partnership. Netanyahu was the one who set this goal back in 1996.

The US Secretary of State backed Trump's remarks and said the president wants the Israel aid agreement to end as soon as possible. According to analysts, the real test will come in wartime, when the primary risk is erosion of US commitment. Ending the aid and the security reality require decisions that will bring the defense budget back to sanity.