Netanyahu's office reiterates: Netanyahu has been talking about ending US aid for 30 years
The Prime Minister's Office reiterated on Wednesday that Israel and the United States are moving from American financial and military assistance toward a new partnership. "In 1996, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel would gradually end US financial support of $1.2 billion. He did just that," the statement said. "Thirty years later, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel is strong enough economically to gradually end military support," the Prime Minister's Office added. The statement recalled Netanyahu's remarks during a May interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, in which he declared: "I want to draw down to zero the American financial support." It also cited US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described the proposal this week as "something the Israelis themselves have offered us." "This joint move by Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump shows the strength of our relationship and its ability to adapt to changing circumstances," the Prime Minister's Office concluded.