Israel is preparing for talks with the Trump administration on a new 10-year security deal, seeking to extend US military support even as Israeli leaders signal they are planning for a future with reduced American cash grants, APA reports, citing the Financial Times.
Gil Pinchas, speaking to the FT before stepping down as chief financial adviser to Israel’s military and defense ministry, says Israel would seek to prioritize joint military and defense projects over cash handouts in talks that he expected to take place in the coming weeks.
“The partnership is more important than just the net financial issue in this context … there are a lot of things that are equal to money,” Pinchas tells the FT. “The view of this needs to be wider.”
Pinchas says pure financial support – or “free money” – worth $3.3 billion a year, which Israel can use to purchase US weapons, was “one component of the MOU (that) could decrease gradually.”
In 2016, the U.S. and Israeli governments signed a memorandum of understanding for 10 years through September 2028 that provides $38 billion in military aid, $33 billion in grants to buy military equipment, and $5 billion for missile defense systems.
The US committed to providing billions in military assistance to Israel and Egypt each year when they signed their 1979 US-brokered peace treaty.
