Opinion: Netanyahu & Trump must make a key announcement- and it’s not about Gaza, Iran
The leaders’ year-end meeting may address Gaza, Syria, and the future of the $3.8B annual U.S. military aid amid growing American scrutiny and Israel’s push for defense independence
Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump will meet at the end of the year for the sixth time since the 47th president took office.
And while everyone is expecting an announcement about the second phase in Gaza, or perhaps progress with Syria or Lebanon, there’s one more announcement the two leaders need to make—ending U.S. military aid to Israel.
The $3.8 billion a year signed in 2016 under the Obama administration is increasingly becoming a burden on the Israeli-American relationship for two reasons:
The first is political. Recent polling by Pew Research Center shows a decline in Americans’ views of the Israeli people and government across the political spectrum. Specifically on the issue of military aid to Israel, a YouGov poll indicates that 42% of Americans now support decreasing or stopping it.
With the victory of Zohran Mamdani, who was partially elected due to his stance on Israel/Palestine, and the increasing number of senators supporting the blocking of arms sales to Israel, it is likely that sooner or later, Israel will face a president seeking to limit or abolish military aid.
The American Left views this as a “moral” step aligned with their worldview of justice, while the American Right considers it a waste of taxpayer money and contrary to the “America First” agenda. Therefore, before military aid is cut unconditionally, it is better for Israel to negotiate a more strategic way to receive American support and arms without further irritating the American public.
The second reason concerns Israel’s self-perception: shifting from a mindset of dependency to that of a partner. Prime Minister Netanyahu is increasingly speaking about Israeli “military independence.” Easier said than done, this suggests new military projects on the horizon. These projects, along with existing ones, could be joint American-Israeli ventures benefiting both countries.
Israel and the U.S. are already co-manufacturing interceptors and air-defense systems like the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow (recently stationed on European soil), while President Trump has insisted on the Golden Dome project, which could cost anywhere from hundreds of billions to $3.7 trillion, according to The American Enterprise Institute.
Moreover, Israel is a leader in electronic warfare, sensors, C4I, drones and counter-drone technology, and cybersecurity. What is especially important for the U.S. is that Israeli military innovations are “combat-proven.”
Additionally, Israel’s defense ecosystem has relatively short development cycles compared to the bureaucratically slow U.S. defense industry.
For these reasons, Israel can gradually become a military partner for the U.S., potentially reducing the significance of U.S. military aid.
Last week, the Israeli government passed the 2026 budget, which included $35 billion for defense, almost ten times what Israel receives from the U.S. annually.
This is the total defense budget, not only arms purchase which the US aid substitutes for almost 40-50% of it, but with the right planning, this can be compensated over the coming years.
The 2016 Memorandum of Understanding regarding the annual military aid to Israel runs until 2028, two years from now, and this is the right time to plan for the future of this scheme- especially with Donald Trump in the oval office.