The congressman stressed that ending direct military assistance would not weaken the alliance but instead redefine it around shared strategic interests.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Indiana) has introduced a non-binding congressional resolution calling for negotiations on a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the United States and Israel that would gradually end the annual $3.8 billion in American military assistance to Israel and replace it with a broader framework centered on defense cooperation, trade, and joint technological investment. The proposal, filed Wednesday, comes as the current 10-year MoU, signed in 2016 and providing $38 billion in military assistance through 2028, approaches its expiration date. According to Stutzman, the initiative reflects both Israel’s economic transformation and the evolving nature of the alliance between Jerusalem and Washington.
“The idea is to take the relationship between two great allies, the United States and Israel, to a more mature relationship with a trade agreement, a defense agreement, rather than supplemental aid from the United States to Israel,” Stutzman told The Jerusalem Post in an interview discussing the measure. The Indiana congressman said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had provided him with a letter expressing support for the proposal following a meeting last month in Israel between the two.
“As I met with Prime Minister Netanyahu last week, he made mention to me that Israel is now at 10 million people,” Stutzman said. “The economy is approaching a trillion dollars GDP. The country is strong.” According to Stutzman, Netanyahu argued that “it was important to them that they stand on their own two feet and that the relationship between the United States be of mutual interest, independent countries standing together.” (Ed note: You can read the entire article for yourself, but what BiBi is doing is getting the state of Israel from under the thumb of US Presidents who have not always had Israel's best interest at heart. This will be very important to end time prophecy as Israel will then make their own decisions, and fight for themselves.) (Read More)
