The project was initially set to cost $1.5 billion. In August last year, the Jerusalem Post reported that none of the announcements related to the project included foreign funding.
This would increase Washington’s annual aid budget of $3.8 billion to Israel. Aside from the annual aid, the US has provided Israel with $21.7 billion in direct military assistance since the start of the Gaza genocide.
The Haaretz report comes days after Israeli Prime Minister and wanted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in an interview with The Economist that Israel hopes to “taper off” its dependence on US military aid in the next decade.
It also comes as Haaretz is being accused of “supporting the enemy in time of war” over its reporting about the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, the Israeli government filed an affidavit in the High Court responding to a petition filed against an order for ministries to halt all contact with the Israeli newspaper. The initial government order to sever ties with Haaretz was issued in November 2024.
The affidavit charges that the newspaper “has expressed support for the enemy in time of war.”