Trump Says US Will End $4 Billion Annual Aid To Israel By Year-End
US President Donald Trump has said the United States will end around $4 billion in annual aid to Israel after the end of 2026, following an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking during an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, 3 November, Trump said the decision had been agreed with Netanyahu months earlier. He argued that Israel no longer needed the financial support and indicated that Washington would continue helping the country if necessary.
Trump also linked the announcement to domestic political debate, saying Democratic and left-wing politicians had used American financial support for Israel as an argument against Republicans. He specifically referred to criticism from Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who has opposed unconditional military assistance to Israel.
However, the precise funding arrangements remain unclear. The existing US-Israel memorandum of understanding provides approximately $3.8 billion in annual military assistance and is due to run until September 2028. Trump did not explain how the proposed early termination would affect the remaining commitment.
The announcement also does not necessarily mean an end to all American military support for Israel. Trump said the country would still be able to purchase US weapons, while other forms of defence cooperation and financial arrangements could continue. Analysts have noted that the two countries maintain wider military and economic ties beyond the annual aid package.
Netanyahu had previously indicated that Israel wanted to gradually reduce its dependence on American financial assistance. In a June 2026 letter to a US congressman, he said the country was ready to move from being an aid recipient towards becoming a partner.
The announcement comes amid changing public attitudes towards US support for Israel, particularly following the war in Gaza. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in June found that 48 per cent of American voters and 66 per cent of Democrats believed the United States was too supportive of Israel.
The timing has also attracted attention because the announcement came as Americans voted in the 2026 midterm elections. The issue of military assistance to Israel has become increasingly prominent in US political debate, with criticism coming from some Democratic lawmakers and sections of the Republican political movement.
There was no immediate detailed response from Netanyahu's office explaining how the proposed change would be implemented. The future of the funding arrangement will also depend on decisions involving Congress, which must approve annual government spending.
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