Israel must be more independent in weapons production, says Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Tel Aviv must be more independent in producing weapons to reduce its vulnerability to external pressures, Anadolu news agency reported.

“We of course need to adapt it to the needs realised in this war, which also exist in the world,” Netanyahu said during a meeting with Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron as cited by a Sunday statement released by his office.

“We need to be much more independent in the production capacity of the weapons we need,” he added.

During the meeting, which was held on Thursday, Netanyahu received a copy of the bank’s Annual Report for 2023.

“The main data, first of all, have very encouraging signs of a relatively fast recovery in both wages and employment,” Netanyahu said. “Regarding credit cards, it even surpasses where we expected to be before the war.”

He said Tel Aviv needs “to be immune from external pressures because we need to make our own decisions.”

Netanyahu’s remarks were released after US media reported Friday that the Biden administration had approved the sale of new warplanes and thousands of unguided bombs worth $2.5 billion to Israel amid its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip.

The news led many to criticise Washington over decrying the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and discouraging a new offensive in the city of Rafah, while continuing to sell Israel lethal weapons of war.

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