Trump Says U.S. Will End Annual Military Aid to Israel by Year-End
President Trump announced a deal with Netanyahu to stop $4 billion in annual funding to Israel after 2026, citing political pressure and Israel's economic strength.
Washington2 min read
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President Donald Trump said on November 3 that the United States will stop providing $4 billion in annual funding to Israel by the end of 2026 under a deal he reached with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump made the statement in a telephone interview with Fox News on the morning of the midterm elections. He said Israel no longer needs the money and that the payments had become a political talking point used against Republicans.
The existing memorandum of understanding, signed in 2016, provides $3.8 billion a year in military assistance and runs through 2028. Trump did not detail how the earlier cutoff would be implemented or which specific accounts would be affected.
Israeli officials were reportedly caught off guard by the announcement. Defense, foreign, and finance ministry figures had no prior indication that aid might end two years ahead of schedule.
Trump said Netanyahu had raised the idea himself, arguing that continued U.S. funding gave critics a point of attack. He added that the United States would still help Israel if needed and would continue selling weapons.
The announcement comes amid declining public support for Israel in some U.S. polls, linked to the Gaza war, and during an election in which candidates on the left had highlighted the aid package.
Analysts noted that legal and budgetary mechanisms may prevent an immediate end to the funds. Congress appropriates the money annually, and the current agreement remains in force until 2028.
Trump specifically mentioned Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a critic of U.S. support for Israel, as an example of the political pressure the aid created. El-Sayed later won the seat.
Israel has received U.S. military assistance for decades. The current package is the largest of any bilateral aid program. Most of the funds are spent on American-made equipment.
Whether the cutoff proceeds on the timeline Trump described remains unclear. Israeli and U.S. officials will need to clarify the status of planned purchases, including aircraft and interceptors scheduled for the next two years.
