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Akbar Novruz

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Israel is preparing to open talks with the Trump administration on a new 10-year security agreement, aiming to secure continued US military support while gradually reducing reliance on direct American cash grants, Azernews reports via the Financial Times.

Speaking to the FT ahead of stepping down as chief financial adviser to Israel’s military and Defence Ministry, Dr. Gil Pinchas said Israel plans to prioritise joint military and defence projects over traditional financial assistance in negotiations expected to take place in the coming weeks.

“The partnership is more important than just the net financial issue in this context… there are a lot of things that are equal to money,” Pinchas said, stressing that future cooperation should be viewed in broader strategic terms.

According to him, the current level of direct financial support — about $3.3 billion annually, which Israel uses to purchase US-made weapons — is only one element of the existing memorandum of understanding (MOU) and could be gradually reduced.

In 2016, Washington and Tel Aviv signed a 10-year MOU running until September 2028, under which the US committed $38 billion in military aid, including $33 billion in grants for defence procurement and $5 billion for missile defence systems.

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel hoped to “taper off” its dependence on US military assistance over the next decade, signaling a strategic shift toward deeper cooperation and greater self-reliance.

The US State Department has not yet commented on the report.