Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu meet in the Oval Office in April 2025. (Photo by Getty Images)

Israel is pushing for a 20-year military aid agreement with the United States, seeking to double the typical duration of such bilateral arrangements, Israeli and US officials have said.

The Israeli proposal, disclosed in recent preliminary discussions, aims to secure at least $4 billion annually in military assistance, despite looming cuts to broader US foreign aid, according to Axios.

This initiative arises as the current 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed in 2016 during President Barack Obama`s administration and amounting to $38 billion through 2028, approaches its conclusion.

The Israeli regime hopes to finalize the new deal within the coming year. However, negotiations face skepticism from supporters of President Donald Trump`s "America First" policy regarding foreign spending, alongside bipartisan concerns about Israel`s military genocidal wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Following the beginning of the Israeli war on the people of Gaza on October 7, 2023, US support for Israel has significantly increased.

The report released on October 7 by the Costs of War Project at Brown University`s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs details how the US State Department and the newly renamed Department of War, under both Biden and Trump administrations, have collectively transferred at least $21.7 billion to support Israel`s genocide in Gaza.

According to the study, the United States supplied $17.9 billion to Israel in the first year of the genocide, during former US president Joe Biden`s tenure, and $3.8 billion in the second year.

A large portion of the assistance has already been delivered, while the remainder will be distributed in the coming years, the report added.

The study notes that Washington is expected to allocate tens of billions of dollars in future funding to Israel through various bilateral deals.

Another analysis, also published by the Costs of War Project, states that the United States has spent approximately $9.65 - $12.07 billion on military operations in West Asia over the past two years.

Since Trump`s inauguration in January 2025, Congress has been notified of an additional $10.1 billion in arms sales, bringing active Foreign Military Sales (FMS) cases to 751, with a total value of $39.2 billion as of April 2025.

Historical MOUs reflect the strengthening US-Israeli alliance, with the 1998 agreement totaling $21.3 billion, increasing to $32 billion in 2008 and $38 billion in 2016.

Israel, as the largest recipient of US foreign aid, has utilized these funds to carry out wars of aggression in the West Asia region, acquiring advanced systems such as F-35 jets and precision-guided munitions. Recent approvals include an $18.8 billion deal for F-15 fighters, with deliveries starting in 2029.

US spending in the region, such as strikes on Yemen in March and May 2025 and attacks on Iranian nuclear sites on June 22, estimates total costs between $9.65 billion and $12 billion since October 7, 2023, including $2 billion to $2.25 billion for operations against Iran.

Since Israel launched its genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip, nearly 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, while in its 12-day war with Iran last June, the regime killed at least 1,604 people.