Twelve US senators seek to block expanded defense and intelligence cooperation with Israel

NOVEMBER 11, 2026 00:55In a letter to congressional leaders, 11 Democratic senators and independent Bernie Sanders warn that proposed legislation could give Israel greater leverage over sensitive American military technology, restrict US decision-making, and undermine national security.Twelve US senators have urged congressional leaders to remove three provisions from the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would expand defense technology cooperation and intelligence sharing between the United States and Israel, warning that the measures could undermine American national security interests.In a letter dated November 10, the senators argued that the proposed provisions would deepen Washington’s technological and intelligence ties with Israel at a time when, in their view, the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and elsewhere in the region are increasingly at odds with American interests.“These provisions would constrain the Administration’s ability to independently determine how best to protect US national security and would lock in long-term commitments despite our serious concerns with the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and other parts of the region,” the lawmakers wrote.The letter was signed by Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welch, Edward Markey, Jeff Merkley, Brian Schatz, Patty Murray, Tina Smith, Ron Wyden, Andy Kim, and Tammy Duckworth, along with independent Sen. Bernie Sanders.US Senator Bernie Sanders (I–VT) arrives for a vote at the US Capitol, in the wake of US President Donald Trump saying he may temporarily drop the nomination of Todd Blanche to be US attorney general, in Washington, US, July 30, 2026. (credit: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS)It was addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and the senior Republican and Democratic members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.Senators warn Israel could gain leverage over US military technologyAt the center of the dispute are Section 1217 of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the defense authorization bill and Section 219 of the House-passed legislation.According to the letter, both provisions would mandate the creation of a “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative” intended to expand and accelerate bilateral defense cooperation.The proposed initiative would cover technology sharing, joint weapons production, and bilateral research and development in several advanced military and technological fields.These include biotechnology, quantum technology, autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, cyberwarfare, and other areas of modern warfare.The senators warned that such arrangements could place sensitive American technologies increasingly within Israel’s reach and create long-term dependencies within the US defense industry.“The agreements and projects these provisions envision threaten US national security interests by handing Israel leverage over American weapons systems and military technology,” the lawmakers wrote.They cited an existing missile defense cooperation agreement, claiming that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had leveraged it to prevent American Iron Dome batteries from reaching Ukraine.The senators argued that expanding joint defense programs could give Israel additional influence over US weapons systems and constrain future American policy decisions.“If enacted, these agreements would create long-term dependencies by embedding Israeli technology into the US defense industrial base that could make future policy changes costly or difficult to implement,” the letter stated.The lawmakers also emphasized that President Donald Trump could independently negotiate new agreements with Israel without Congress mandating an expansion of bilateral defense cooperation.They questioned the wisdom of sharing or jointly producing highly sensitive technologies with Israel when, according to the senators, Washington does not pursue comparable arrangements with many of its closest partners.Netanyahu’s push to replace military aid with ‘partnership’ draws criticismThe letter directly criticized Netanyahu’s efforts to redefine the US-Israel defense relationship, arguing that the proposed legislation could advance an Israeli initiative to shift bilateral cooperation away from traditional American military assistance.The senators quoted a letter Netanyahu sent to Rep. Marlin Stutzman, who had led a resolution supporting a similar initiative.“I was glad to receive your proposed Congressional resolution endorsing my plan to shift the framework of US-Israeli defense cooperation from aid to partnership,” Netanyahu wrote, according to the senators’ letter.The lawmakers said Netanyahu’s position made the motivation behind the proposed changes clear.They argued that shifting cooperation toward joint defense acquisitions, technology development, and established weapons procurement programs could make the relationship less transparent while increasing American dependence on Israeli technology.“The intention behind this is clear: to move US security assistance governed through more traditional pathways, like Foreign Military Financing and arms sales, to more opaque, less discernible avenues,” the senators wrote.They further claimed that the approach would increase Israel’s leverage over Washington.The criticism came with a particularly pointed reference to Netanyahu’s statements about Iran.The senators accused the Israeli prime minister of having boasted that he had been attempting to initiate a war with Iran for 40 years. They characterized that war as a strategic disaster for the United States and contrary to American interests.The letter did not provide additional evidence or context for those characterizations.Proposed intelligence-sharing provision raises separate concernsThe senators also sought the removal of a third measure, Section 618 of the Fiscal Year 2027 Intelligence Authorization Act, which the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence had included in legislation intended to become part of the final NDAA.Unlike the defense technology provisions, this measure would affect the executive branch’s discretion to limit intelligence cooperation with Israel.According to the letter, Section 618 would require the executive branch to expand and enhance intelligence sharing with the Israeli government.It would also stipulate that such sharing could not be “suspended, reduced, or otherwise materially limited.”The senators warned that this language could restrict a president’s ability to withhold sensitive intelligence from Israel even when doing so might be necessary to protect US national security.“The provision would tie the President’s hands from limiting intelligence sharing with Israel, even when doing so may be necessary to protect US national security,” they wrote.The letter characterized that restriction as irresponsible and especially troubling in light of what the lawmakers described as recent public reports concerning Israeli counterintelligence risks.The senators asserted that the Defense Intelligence Agency had recently raised its assessment of the counterintelligence threat from Israel to the highest level.That assertion was presented in the letter as part of the lawmakers’ argument against the provision.Lawmakers demand removal of three sections from defense billThe letter concludes with a direct appeal to congressional leadership to remove all three disputed provisions during negotiations over the final defense authorization legislation.“For all these reasons, we should not legally mandate an expansion in defense co-production or a requirement to increase intelligence sharing with the Government of Israel,” the senators wrote.They specifically requested the removal of Section 1217, Section 219, and Section 618 from the final NDAA conference report.The appeal places two central components of the US-Israel security relationship, advanced defense technology cooperation and intelligence sharing, at the center of a congressional dispute over how much authority the executive branch should retain to reassess its relationship with Israel.Although the letter does not call for a complete termination of American defense assistance or intelligence cooperation with Israel, it challenges efforts to mandate deeper cooperation through legislation.Its signatories argue that such decisions should remain subject to independent American national security assessments rather than being embedded in long-term statutory commitments.For Israel, the dispute concerns proposals designed to institutionalize closer military and technological cooperation with Washington.For the senators opposing them, the question is whether those arrangements could ultimately reduce America’s freedom to make its own national security decisions.Follow us on Google