Israel is preparing for talks with the Trump administration on a new 10-year security deal, seeking to extend US military support even as Israeli leaders signal they are planning for a future with reduced American cash grants, the Financial Times reported Tuesday.
Gil Pinchas, speaking to the FT before stepping down as chief financial adviser to the military and Defense Ministry earlier this month, said Israel would seek to prioritize joint military and defense projects over cash handouts in talks that he expected to take place in the coming weeks, Times of Israel reports.
“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. “The view of this needs to be wider.”
He said pure financial support — or “free money” — worth $3.3 billion a year, which Israel can use to purchase US weapons, was “one component of the MOU (that) could decrease gradually.”
