US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that Washington would stop providing nearly $4 billion in annual military assistance to Israel by the end of 2026, claiming he had reached an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discontinue the funding.
Speaking during a telephone interview with Fox News' Fox & Friends, Trump said Israel had become economically successful and no longer required financial support from the United States.
"As far as paying Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal โ we give Israel $4 billion a year โ we made a deal months ago that we're stopping," Trump said.
"They're fine with it because they've become a very successful country. They don't need it," he added.
The announcement, which came as Americans voted in the midterm congressional elections, raised questions about the future of Washington's longstanding military assistance arrangement with Israel.
๐ง๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฝ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ต๐
Trump claimed that Netanyahu had initiated discussions about ending American assistance and that the two leaders had reached an understanding several months earlier.
He argued that Israel was financially capable of purchasing its own military equipment and should no longer depend on American taxpayers.
The US President also suggested that continued military assistance had become a political liability for Republicans, with Democratic politicians increasingly questioning Washington's financial support for Israel.
Referring to criticism from Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Trump questioned why the United States should continue providing assistance when Israel did not require it.
He nevertheless maintained that Washington would remain committed to Israel's security and provide assistance if necessary.
Trump also indicated that Israel would continue to be able to purchase American weapons, suggesting that the proposed withdrawal of direct assistance would not necessarily end defence cooperation between the two countries.
๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐
The announcement drew sharp criticism from Israeli opposition leader Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party, who accused Netanyahu of failing to safeguard Israel's security interests.
Golan argued that Israel required continued American assistance at a time when its defence expenditure had increased substantially and its military needed to replenish weapons stockpiles.
He also pointed to the depletion of air defence capabilities following prolonged military operations.
Describing the proposed cessation of US assistance as damaging to Israel's national security, Golan said a responsible prime minister should have sought to increase American support rather than eliminate it.
His criticism highlighted disagreements within Israel over the future of its security relationship with Washington and the financial implications of reducing dependence on American military assistance.
๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐น ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ด
Despite Trump's announcement, uncertainty remains over how the proposed termination would be implemented.
The United States and Israel signed a 10-year memorandum of understanding in 2016, under which Washington committed to providing $38 billion in military assistance between fiscal years 2019 and 2028.
The arrangement provides approximately $3.8 billion annually, including funding for military procurement and missile defence cooperation.
A substantial portion of the assistance is used to purchase American-manufactured defence equipment, making the arrangement economically significant for US defence contractors as well.
The existing agreement is scheduled to remain in effect through 2028, raising questions about Trump's claim that the assistance would end this December.
Congress also plays a central role in approving annual appropriations, meaning that implementing an early termination could require additional legislative and administrative action.
Neither the White House nor Netanyahu's office had immediately provided detailed clarification on how the proposed change would affect existing commitments.
๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ต๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ-๐ผ๐๐
Netanyahu had previously expressed a desire to reduce Israel's dependence on American military assistance, but his earlier proposals envisaged a gradual transition rather than an immediate withdrawal.
In January, the Israeli Prime Minister indicated that he wanted to phase out military aid over the next decade as Israel strengthened its domestic defence capabilities and expanded international partnerships.
Trump's latest remarks suggest a considerably faster timetable, although the precise terms of the agreement he described have not been made public.
The announcement also comes amid growing political debate in the United States over military assistance to Israel, particularly following the Gaza war and subsequent regional tensions.
While Trump maintained that Israel would remain a close American ally, the proposed withdrawal of annual funding has raised fresh questions about the future structure of defence cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem.