Netanyahu Wants to Reduce Israel's Dependence on the US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged that he hopes to reduce Israel’s dependence on US military support. Netanyahu expects Israel to achieve this within a decade.

Netanyahu’s hope, as reported by Al Arabiya on Monday (11/5/2026), was expressed in an interview with the “60 Minutes” programme broadcast on the prominent US television network CBS News on Sunday (10/5) local time.

“I want to reduce to zero the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation we have,” Netanyahu said in the interview.

Netanyahu explained that Israel receives US military aid of around $3.8 billion (Rp 66.1 trillion) each year. Washington has agreed to provide a total of $38 billion (Rp 661.8 trillion) in military aid to Tel Aviv for the period from 2018 to 2028.

However, Netanyahu stated that this is truly the right time to possibly readjust the US-Israel financial relationship.

“I don’t want to wait for the next Congress. I want to start it now,” Netanyahu firmly told CBS News.

Israel has long enjoyed bipartisan consensus in the US Congress for military aid. But support from parliament members and the US public has weakened since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

According to a Pew survey conducted last March, 60 per cent of US adults hold an unfavourable view of Israel, while 59 per cent have little or no confidence in Netanyahu to do the right thing regarding global affairs.

Both percentages rose by seven points compared to the previous year.

Netanyahu said the worsening support for Israel in the US “correlates almost 100 per cent with the rapid increase in social media”. He stated that some countries, which he did not name, have “essentially manipulated” social media in a way that is “very damaging to us”.

Furthermore, in the “60 Minutes” interview, Netanyahu refused to discuss Israel’s military plans or timelines regarding Iran. However, he addressed the potential impact if Iran’s leadership changes.

“If this regime does indeed weaken or perhaps be overthrown, I think that would be the end of Hezbollah, the end of Hamas, possibly the end of the Houthis, because the entire framework of the Iranian-built terrorist proxy network would collapse,” he said.

When asked if it is possible to overthrow the Iranian regime, Netanyahu replied: “Is it possible? Yes. Is it guaranteed? No.”