Netanyahu: “Gradually reduce” U.S. military aid… Match with Trump
In response to President Trump's remarks about ending aid within the year, it was emphasized that the plan was to gradually reduce aid over 10 years.
Quick Look
While U.S. President Trump announced that he would end military aid to Israel within the year, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's office stated officially that it understood this to be a gradual reduction over 10 years, not a temporary suspension.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
On the 3rd, President Trump suggested that he would end $4 billion worth of annual military aid to Israel at the end of the year and replace it with arms sales.
(Cairo = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Sang-hoon = U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would end military aid to Israel within this year, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads Israel's transitional government, announced that U.S. support would be "gradually reduced."
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office explained in a statement on the 11th (local time), "In 1996, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that he would gradually reduce US economic aid, which was worth $1.2 billion at the time, and he actually fulfilled his promise."
He added, "Now, 30 years later, Prime Minister Netanyahu believes that Israel's economy is strong enough to gradually reduce U.S. military aid as well."
The Prime Minister's Office highlighted the decision to reduce aid as a 'joint action' between the two leaders.
However, although Prime Minister Netanyahu has publicly and repeatedly mentioned the end of U.S. military aid, he drew a line by saying that he meant to proceed gradually over the next 10 years rather than stop all at once as President Trump announced.
Previously, on the 3rd, the day of the midterm elections, President Trump suggested that military aid that has been provided to Israel in the amount of about $4 billion (approximately 5.4 trillion won) per year could be cut off at the end of the year and replaced with arms sales.
The Prime Minister's Office said, "Today, Israel has a strong and stable economy, and Israel and the United States have taken a significant step forward in shifting from aid to partnership."
He also emphasized, “Prime Minister Netanyahu suggested this direction in an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes last May, saying he wanted to gradually reduce U.S. financial support to zero.”
At the same time, he also pointed out that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week regarding the suspension of aid, "It is a measure that Israel first proposed to us."
The Prime Minister's Office added, "This joint initiative between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump demonstrates the strength of our alliance and our ability to adapt to changing circumstances."
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Gradual decline in Israel's dependence on U.S. military aid
Likely · Long term
Open Questions
- What is the specific annual reduction scale of the 10-year reduction plan?
