U.S. and Israel Begin Talks on Post-2028 Security Pact Amid ICC Warrants and Gaza Death Toll Over 70,000

Delegations from the United States and Israel began discussions this week on a new long-term security cooperation agreement. S. Delegation. S. Yechiel Leiter are representing Israel. The two sides held the inaugural talks this week, with further sessions scheduled in the coming weeks.

The agreement will replace the existing memorandum of understanding that went into effect in 2018 and will expire in 2028. A statement from the Israeli Ministry of Defense said the new framework is designed to strengthen the IDF’s qualitative military edge through expanded joint investment in research, development, and co-production.

-Israel partnership demonstrated during Operation Roaring Lion and gradually transition from aid to a completely reciprocal partnership.

The talks follow Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks and the subsequent Israeli military operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen. The Israeli military’s war in Gaza killed more than 70,000 people, civilians and terrorists alike. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as three of Hamas’s senior leaders.

U.S. House Armed Services Committee approved Section 224 of the National Defense Authorization Act. Section 224 requires the secretary of defense to designate an executive agent responsible for synchronizing cooperative efforts between the United States and Israel, including bilateral defense technology research, development, testing, evaluation, integration, and industrial cooperation.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) offered an amendment to remove the provision, but it failed.