Netanyahu Wants to End Billions in U.S. Aid to Israel?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dropped a major surprise during a fiery interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes” Sunday night, revealing he wants Israel to eventually stop taking billions in financial support from the United States — and says he’s already discussed the plan directly with President Donald Trump.

In a moment that caught many viewers off guard, Netanyahu openly admitted he believes it’s time for Israel to begin “weaning” itself off American taxpayer-funded military assistance.

“Absolutely,” Netanyahu said when asked whether it was time to reset the financial relationship between the U.S. and Israel. “I’ve said this to President Trump. I’ve said it to our own people.”

The longtime Israeli leader said he wants to gradually eliminate the financial portion of America’s military cooperation package with Israel, which currently totals roughly $3.8 billion per year.

“I want to draw down to zero the American financial support,” Netanyahu declared. “Because we receive $3.8 billion a year. And I think that it’s time that we weaned ourselves from the remaining military support.”

While critics of foreign aid have long demanded Washington stop sending massive checks overseas, few expected the push to come directly from Israel’s own prime minister.

Netanyahu said he does not want to drag the issue out for future administrations or future Congresses. Instead, he said he wants the process to begin immediately and phase out over the next decade.

“I said, let’s start now and do it over the next 10 years,” he explained. “I don’t want to wait for the next Congress. I want to start now.”

The comments are likely to ignite major debate in Washington, where billions in foreign aid to Israel have become increasingly controversial among both conservatives and progressives. Many America First Republicans have argued for years that U.S. taxpayers should no longer be footing massive foreign aid bills while inflation, debt, and border security problems continue at home.

Netanyahu also addressed the sharp decline in support for Israel among younger Americans, blaming social media and what he described as foreign manipulation campaigns online.

“Israel has gone to unbelievable lengths to get innocent civilians out of harm’s way,” Netanyahu insisted, arguing that the collapse in public support “correlates almost 100% with the geometric rise of social media.”

He claimed hostile foreign actors have learned how to weaponize online platforms against Israel in ways that have “hurt us badly.”

The Israeli leader also warned that the conflict with Iran is far from over, despite recent military successes.

“I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over,” Netanyahu said, pointing to remaining enriched uranium, missile production, and Iranian-backed proxy groups still operating throughout the region.

“There’s work to be done,” he added.

Netanyahu’s remarks come as tensions in the Middle East remain sky-high and as the Trump administration continues pushing a far tougher stance against Iran than previous administrations.