One week after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) has introduced a House resolution calling for a reorientation of the U.S.-Israel defense relationship “away from traditional foreign assistance and toward a new era of mutual cooperation, joint investment and shared technological development.”
The measure would replace conventional U.S. military assistance with a framework under which Israel would use its own funds to purchase U.S.-made defense systems, emphasizing what Stutzman called a “trade over aid” approach.
Israel currently receives $3.8 billion annually in U.S. military assistance under a 10-year memorandum of understanding.
In a June 1 letter supporting the resolution, Netanyahu wrote that the proposal aligns with his vision to shift U.S.-Israel defense ties “from aid to partnership.”
He noted that, during their May 27 meeting in Jerusalem, he told the congressman that “Israel deeply appreciates the financial component of the military aid the United States has generously provided us over the years. The time has now arrived for us to move from aid recipient to partner.”
