Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump are working to shift the two countries' military relationship from "aid" to "partnership", the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement posted on X on Friday.
The statement marked Israel's first formal response to the proposed termination of U.S. security assistance.
The office said U.S. military aid to Israel has long been a bipartisan consensus in Washington, and that Israel has used the assistance for self-defense and to confront "enemies who threaten America and the West."
Noting that Israel now has a strong and stable economy, the statement framed the change as a sign of the relationship's maturity. "The move by PM Netanyahu and President Trump from aid to partnership shows the strength and sophistication of our relationship, and its ability to adapt and stand strong over time," it said.
Friday's statement followed an announcement Trump made on Tuesday, as Americans voted in the midterm elections, that he would end about 4 billion U.S. dollars in annual military aid to Israel by year's end, a move he said he and Netanyahu had agreed on a month earlier. The decision caught Israeli officials off guard, drawing surprise and concern.
Under the current U.S.-Israel 10-year security assistance agreement, signed during the Obama administration, Washington provides Israel with about 3.8 billion U.S. dollars a year. The arrangement runs until 2028, and the two sides had already begun talks on extending it.
Israel, US shifting military ties from "aid" to "partnership": PM's office
Deepening China-Gabon relations meets the common expectations of the people of both countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday during his talks with visiting Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema in Beijing.
The two leaders announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a China-Gabon community with a shared future for the new era during their talks.
"I am very pleased to see you again, Mr. President. I visited Gabon in the 1990s and was deeply impressed by the development achievements of this 'land of green gold' of Africa. The traditional friendship between China and Gabon has a long history. For more than half a century, the two countries have adhered to equality, mutual support and common development, and China-Gabon relations have withstood the test of changing international circumstances and remained rock-solid," Xi said.
"Deepening China-Gabon relations meets the common expectations of the people of both countries and follows the trend of the Global South seeking strength through unity. To this end, I propose elevating our bilateral relations to a China-Gabon community with a shared future for the new era," Xi added.
"Political mutual trust is the cornerstone of our partnership. This meeting vividly reflects the profound friendship and brotherhood between our two countries over more than half a century. In recent years, our cooperation has been full of vitality, with a series of major projects in key areas being implemented. Today, we have the opportunity to further expand the scale of our cooperation and better benefit the peoples of both countries," said Nguema.
Deepening China-Gabon relations meets peoples' common expectations: Xi
