Top Republicans are warming to an idea by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that even a year ago would have been considered an unthinkable shift in U.S. foreign policy: ending all American military aid to Israel.Netanyahu’s plan, to wind down the $3.8 billion Israel gets each year in military support, has shocked the ranks of congressional Republicans who for decades have considered that funding sacrosanct and been critical of Democrats’ growing interest in placing conditions on it.But the request is increasingly losing its taboo, and even stalwart supporters of Israel are beginning to praise the policy shift as a sign Israel is coming of age and no longer needs the special treatment it gets as an American ally.
“I think it represents a show of resolve by Israel to be the master of their own destinies, and I think it’ll be well-received,” said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “It’ll be well-received by Congress, by the administration, by the American people.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said the phase-out should at least be entertained and that Israel knows best what’s in its national security interests.
The change would not end the sale of weapons to Israel, such as the F-35s and missile defense systems that give it a military edge over regional adversaries. Instead, it would effectively alter who pays for that equipment, shifting the burden from the United States to Israel.
