Netanyahu wants to wean Israel off US military aid in coming years

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu hopes to wean Israel off US military support within a decade ‌as his country pushes to strengthen ties with Gulf states, Reuters writes, referring to Netanyahu.

“I want to draw down to zero the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have,” Netanyahu told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” program.

He said Israel ​receives about $3.8 billion of US military aid a year. The US has agreed to provide a total of $38 billion ​in military aid to Israel from 2018 to 2028.

But it is “absolutely” the right time to ⁠possibly reset the US-Israeli financial relationship, Netanyahu said.

“I don’t want to wait for the next Congress,” he told CBS. “I want ​to start now.”