OMM Newsroom
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israel must prepare for an end to US military assistance worth tens of billions of dollars, describing it as “only a matter of time.”
Speaking to business broadcaster “Channel 10” days before parliamentary elections, Netanyahu said he had ordered preparations for possible economic and banking sanctions, including an examination of alternative financial technologies, according to Anadolu Agency.
“If you think we're going to continue receiving what I secured twice, and that's tens of billions of dollars in American aid for the defense budget, prepare yourselves and get used to the fact that it won't happen, because America has changed,” he said. He appeared to refer to growing opposition in the United States to the aid amid Israel’s actions in Gaza and its treatment of Palestinians.
“This is over, and it will end. It is only a matter of time,” Netanyahu said.
He did not give a date for the assistance to end or announce any formal US decision, instead urging preparations for a possible future halt.
Netanyahu said Israel should develop alternative economic and financial mechanisms to cope with possible sanctions. “You have to understand that there could be sanctions, including banking sanctions. You need to prepare an economy that can get around them,” he said.
Asked whether blockchain technology could provide an alternative for dealing with economic sanctions, he replied: “Yes, that's one of the ways. And I've already asked for a plan to be prepared.”
Opposition leader calls for a change of government
Yair Golan, leader of the opposition Democrats party, criticized Netanyahu’s remarks on the social media platform “X” and accused him of being detached from reality.
Golan said preventing economic sanctions required combating “Jewish terrorism” that damages Israel’s international standing, preserving strategic alliances and replacing the government in the following week’s election.
He called for a new government “without Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Deri,” referring to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Shas party leader Aryeh Deri.
The remarks came four days before Tuesday’s parliamentary elections, amid debate over relations with Western allies and the possible consequences of economic sanctions.
Under an agreement signed with Washington in 2016, Israel receives $38 billion in military assistance over a 10-year period scheduled to end in 2028.
Netanyahu has previously called for reducing Israel’s reliance on US military aid and strengthening its domestic defence industry.
