Rubio Says Israel Can Buy U.S. Weapons Without American Funding

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday, November 9, that Israel had become prosperous enough to pay for purchases of American weapons with its own money. He said Israel itself had proposed continuing to buy arms from the United States while taking responsibility for financing those purchases, rather than relying on American funding. Asked whether Israel was ready to move to that arrangement in 2027, Rubio answered affirmatively, referring to what President Donald Trump had said the administration would do. He also said Israel could proceed if it wanted. Rubio distinguished Israel's ability to obtain American weapons from the financial assistance Washington provides to pay for them. In a November 3 telephone interview, Trump said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed months earlier to end annual American assistance to Israel by the end of 2026. He described that assistance as $4 billion a year and said Netanyahu had raised the proposal because he believed Israel no longer needed the money. Trump said Israel would still be able to purchase American weapons, saying: “They can buy whatever they want.”