Some wondered if Benjamin Netanyahu had lost his mind.
The Israeli prime minister had just suggested that his nation be weaned off the American military aid it has relied on for decades.
Not only that, he wanted to do so within 10 years – a blink of an eye, in military planning terms – at a time when Israel could be dragged into a looming war between the US and Iran.
“We very deeply appreciate the military aid that America has given us over the years, but here too we’ve come of age,” he said. “We’ve developed incredible capacities.”
The announcement, which few saw coming, poses fundamental questions: can the Jewish state survive without its US protector; equally, to what extent can Israel rely on America in the Maga age?
Israel currently receives $3.3bn (£2.4bn) annually in US military aid. On top of this is a separate missile defence assistance package worth $500m a year.
For a small state in a rough neighbourhood – a bellicose Iran, a militarily ambitious Turkey, Syria run by Islamists, to name but three – it is surely the dream ticket.
Mr Netanyahu’s questioning of it has therefore prompted some to ask whether the veteran prime minister has lost his sanity.
Quietly, however, there is growing unease among Israeli strategists as to how far into the future they can be sure of US military support.
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**From The Telegraph:**
Some wondered if Benjamin Netanyahu had lost his mind.
The Israeli prime minister had just suggested that his nation be weaned off the American military aid it has relied on for decades.
Not only that, he wanted to do so within 10 years – a blink of an eye, in military planning terms – at a time when Israel could be dragged into a looming war between the US and Iran.
“We very deeply appreciate the military aid that America has given us over the years, but here too we’ve come of age,” he said. “We’ve developed incredible capacities.”
The announcement, which few saw coming, poses fundamental questions: can the Jewish state survive without its US protector; equally, to what extent can Israel rely on America in the Maga age?
Israel currently receives $3.3bn (£2.4bn) annually in US military aid. On top of this is a separate missile defence assistance package worth $500m a year.
For a small state in a rough neighbourhood – a bellicose Iran, a militarily ambitious Turkey, Syria run by Islamists, to name but three – it is surely the dream ticket.
Mr Netanyahu’s questioning of it has therefore prompted some to ask whether the veteran prime minister has lost his sanity.
Quietly, however, there is growing unease among Israeli strategists as to how far into the future they can be sure of US military support.
**Read more here:** [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/08/israel-wants-out-of-america-military-embrace/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_out-of-america-military-embrace/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/08/israel-wants-out-of-america-military-embrace/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_out-of-america-military-embrace/)