Axios: Israel seeks 20-year military deal with US

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (YPA) – Israel is seeking a new 20-year security agreement with the United States, double the length of previous memoranda of understanding that typically covered 10 years, Axios reported on Thursday.

Citing Israeli and American officials, Axios said Israel has included a new clause in the agreement aligned with its “America First” policy to appeal to the administration of President Donald Trump, which has taken a more conservative stance on foreign aid.

The current agreement, signed in 2016 under President Barack Obama, includes pledges of $4 billion in annual military aid. Israeli officials hope the new agreement will include even more annual aid, but they are concerned that negotiations will be more difficult following the Trump administration’s decisions on foreign assistance.

This comes as Israel faces increasing criticism in the United States over the war in Gaza, even from within Trump’s conservative electoral base.

Israeli and American officials told the website that initial talks only began in recent weeks, after being postponed due to the war in Gaza.

During these discussions, Israel presented two main proposals: first, to extend the new agreement for 20 years, covering until 2048, which marks the centenary of Israel’s founding; and second, to allocate it to joint US-Israeli research and development, instead of direct military aid to the Israeli occupation army.