Netanyahu warns of sanctions...and prepares for the period after American support

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel will not be able to continue receiving tens of billions of dollars in American aid allocated to the security budget, considering that the United States has changed, and that this support will end is a matter of time.

Netanyahu said, in a television interview with Roy Katz on the Israeli Economic Channel 10, that Israel needs to prepare for a new stage in its economic relations with the United States, noting that he had previously succeeded in obtaining significant American aid, but its continuation at the same levels is no longer guaranteed.

In the context of his talk about the upcoming challenges, Netanyahu warned of the possibility of imposing sanctions on Israel, including banking sanctions, stressing the need to prepare for this scenario by building an economy capable of overcoming financial restrictions.

Netanyahu also added that he is working on preparing alternatives that would allow Israel to deal with potential sanctions, noting the possibility of using currencies and financial technologies that allow bypassing restrictions, including “blockchain” technologies.

Netanyahu's statements regarding American aid and possible sanctions come in the context of a broader conversation about the future of Israeli security and the economy, as he defended in previous statements the allocation of about 450 billion shekels to enhance defense capabilities and military industries over the coming years, with the aim of reducing dependence on abroad to provide weapons, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

The Israeli Prime Minister also warned of the possibility of the arrival of an American president more hostile to Israel in the future, stressing the need to diversify international alliances, in a trend that reflects his government’s efforts to prepare for the possibility of a decline in American support, in parallel with an increased reliance on local military capabilities.