Jerusalem, Undefined – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel would invest $110 billion over the next decade to develop its own independent arms industry.
According to the US Congress, Washington provided $3.3 billion to Israel in military funding and $500 million in missile defence cooperation in 2025.
But Israel’s leaders have indicated their intention to shift away from foreign suppliers.
In a controversial speech in September, Netanyahu said Israel was becoming increasingly isolated and had to adopt a “super-Sparta” approach.
Following a backlash after the remark, the Israeli leader later said he was referring to the defence industry and that the country had to become more self-reliant to avoid potential supply bottlenecks.
In his speech Wednesday, Netanyahu said developing the country’s arm industry would boost its security.
“We have established our status as a regional power — and in certain fields, as a global one. This brings many other countries closer to us. Peace is made with the strong, not with the weak,” he said.
In 2026, Israel will allocate about 16 percent of its public budget to defence — around $35 billion out of an overall budget of $208 billion, according to government data.
Before the Gaza war sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023, the country’s defence budget was around $20.4 billion.
