{"id":377204,"date":"2025-11-14T01:22:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T01:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/377204\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T01:22:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T01:22:23","slug":"israel-seeking-20-year-america-first-security-agreement-with-us-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/377204\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel seeking 20-year ‘America-first’ security agreement with US — report"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israel is angling for a 20-year security agreement with the US with \u201cAmerica first\u201d elements, US media reported<\/a> on Thursday, a deal that would be broader in scope than past pacts and would last until the 100th anniversary of Israel\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n

The current 10-year memorandum of understanding between the two countries \u2014 the third such agreement signed \u2014 expires in 2028. Signed under the Obama administration in 2016<\/a>, it includes around $4 billion of aid to Israel annually.<\/p>\n

With growing skepticism around foreign aid, including to Israel, in the Republican Party among those who subscribe to\u00a0 US President Donald Trump\u2019s largely isolationist \u201cAmerica First\u201d policies, the next MOU faces challenges that the previous ones did not.<\/p>\n

Discussions on the next MOU began in recent weeks, according to the Axios report, which cited Israeli and US officials, after a long delay because of the war against Hamas in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Israel proposed a 20-year deal that would end on the country\u2019s centennial in 2048, and to appease those opposed to aid, it would allocate some of the funds for joint R&D, rather than direct military aid, Axios reported.<\/p>\n

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The projects touted would be in defense tech, defense-related AI, and Trump\u2019s Golden Dome missile defense project, among others, an Israeli official told Axios.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is out-of-the-box thinking,\u201d an Israeli official told Axios. \u201cWe want to change the way we handled past agreements and put more emphasis on US-Israel cooperation. The Americans like this idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tUS Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer at the signing of the US-Israel military aid deal in the State Department on September 14, 2016 (Israeli Embassy, Washington)<\/p>\n

However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied the report in an interview with Australian TV host Erin Molan. \u201cI don\u2019t know what they\u2019re talking about. My direction is the exact opposite,\u201d he insisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s time to ensure that Israel is independent,\u201d he continued. \u201cUnderstand that our military aid is like a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of what the US spent in Afghanistan or spent in the Middle East. It\u2019s tiny. But I think that we have a very strong economy. We have a very strong arms industry. It\u2019s true that even though we get what we get, which we appreciate, 80 percent of that is spent in the United States. It produces jobs in the United States. But nevertheless, I\u2019d like to see a much more independent Israeli, an even more independent Israeli defense industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The White House declined to comment on the Axios report.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPresident Donald Trump walks with Israel\u2019s President Isaac Herzog, left, and Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport, October 13, 2025, near Tel Aviv. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci)<\/p>\n

Trump has referred publicly to the billions in aid given to Israel during both of his terms. In 2018, he dismissed concerns<\/a> that pulling US troops out of Syria could endanger Israel. \u201cYou know, we give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And they\u2019re doing very well defending themselves, if you take a look,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

During a rocky White House visit in April, Trump brought it up<\/a> again as Netanyahu listened beside him: \u201cDon\u2019t forget, we help Israel a lot. We give Israel $4 billion a year, that\u2019s a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

US\u00a0aid agreements are seen in Israel as key to helping it maintain its \u201cqualitative military edge\u201d over potential threats.<\/p>\n

The US has either jointly developed or financed all three tiers in Israel\u2019s missile defense program \u2014 made up of the Iron Dome (short-range missile interceptor), David\u2019s Sling (medium range), and Arrow (long range) systems.<\/p>\n

Missile defense technologies developed in Israel using US funds are available to US defense contractors involved in the development.<\/p>\n

The US committed to providing billions in military assistance to Israel and Egypt each year when they signed their 1979 US-brokered peace treaty.<\/p>\n

While the US aid once made up a significant chunk of Israel\u2019s military spending, it has significantly declined as a percentage in recent years as Israel\u2019s economy has flourished.<\/p>\n

Under the 2025 budget the Defense Ministry\u2019s budget alone swelled to a record NIS 110 billion ($29 billion) out of a total defense budget of NIS\u200b 136 billion ($36.9 billion.)<\/p>\n


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