Trump says US will end $4 billion annual aid to Israel by year end

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, that the United States will stop providing roughly $4 billion in annual aid to Israel at the end of the year. Speaking by telephone to Fox News while midterm voting was underway, he stated that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reached an understanding months earlier. Trump said Netanyahu had raised the idea, noting that Israel had become economically successful and no longer required the payments.

The US currently supplies Israel about $3.8 billion each year under a ten-year memorandum of understanding signed in 2016 that runs through fiscal 2028. Most of the funds support purchases of American weapons, so the money returns to US defence manufacturers. Trump described the amount as $4 billion in cash, military aid or barter and said the arrangement would end after December 2026. He added that Washington would still assist Israel if a genuine need arose. Israeli officials had not issued an immediate public confirmation at the time of his remarks.

Trump linked the announcement to domestic politics. He said Democrats use the aid figure as a talking point about unfairness, particularly in races such as Michigan’s Senate contest where Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed has opposed unconditional military support for Israel. Trump argued that continuing the payments allows critics to attack Republicans and that ending them removes an easy target. Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has criticised US aid to Israel, noted on social media that the timing coincided with difficult polling for Republicans ahead of the midterms.

Support for Israel among Democratic voters has declined sharply since the Gaza war. Even some moderate lawmakers now question the scale of annual transfers. Trump’s statement arrives on the same day voters decide control of Congress. It also follows his separate comments about limited US strikes near the Strait of Hormuz and ongoing mediation efforts involving Qatar. Netanyahu has previously spoken of tapering US assistance over a longer period; Trump’s timeline compresses that idea into the remaining weeks of 2026.

Implementation details remain unclear. The existing memorandum does not expire until 2028, and any early termination would require congressional or executive steps that have not yet been spelled out. Trump said the two leaders had already agreed on the cutoff. Israeli defence sources expressed surprise at the public announcement, according to reports from Jerusalem. The funds have formed a central pillar of the bilateral security relationship for decades, exceeding $300 billion in cumulative assistance since Israel’s founding.

Markets and regional capitals watched the statement for signals about broader US posture in the Middle East. Trump has also discussed ending certain military support to Ukraine and managing the Iran conflict. The aid decision, if carried out, would alter procurement patterns for Israeli forces and the revenue streams of US arms makers. It could also shift domestic debate in both countries about the balance between alliance commitments and domestic priorities. Further clarification from both governments is expected once election results clarify the political landscape in Washington.