OddsFrontTrump says US will end $4 billion annual military aid to Israel after 2026
In a Fox News interview on Election Day, the US president said a deal with Netanyahu ends the funding at year-end, with Israel to buy weapons instead. The form of aid and the terms remain unclear.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington will stop providing Israel with about $4 billion a year in military assistance once 2026 ends, describing the change as the result of a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Reuters, Al Jazeera and Fox News all carried his remarks.
Trump spoke to the Fox News programme Fox & Friends on the morning that voting began in the US midterm elections. “We’ve already agreed that by the end of this year we won’t be paying Israel,” he said, adding that the arrangement was settled “months ago”. He added that the United States would still “help Israel if they need it”.
Israel to buy rather than receive
According to Fox News, Trump argued that Israel has no need for the support and can pay for its own weapons. “Israel is a very thriving country,” he said. He told the programme the assistance covered “things and money”, and characterised it as military aid, cash or “barter”. The AP framed the announcement as a shift in which Israel purchases American military hardware instead of receiving it.
Trump also said he and Netanyahu had talked about ending the assistance for years, and that the idea came from the Israeli leader. Reuters reported that he complained that some Democrats and left-wing politicians use the funding as a talking point against Republicans.
What remains unclear
Neither the president’s comments nor the early coverage explain the mechanics. Al Jazeera noted that it was not immediately clear which form of aid Trump had in mind, and that the State Department had not responded to its request for comment.
Fox News pointed out that the existing US-Israel security assistance agreement provides roughly $3.8 billion a year through 2028, a figure slightly below the one Trump cited. The network added that Netanyahu has previously said he wants Israel to reduce its dependence on American military aid, but that the timing and terms of any change to the agreement have not been laid out.
A shifting political backdrop
Al Jazeera described military aid to Israel, along with campaign donations from Israel’s supporters, as a point of friction within both major US parties this year. It said the open criticism of Israel from American political figures represents a dramatic break with decades of firm bipartisan backing.
In July, the House of Representatives rejected by 314 votes to 104 an amendment that would have cut off aid to Israel. The measure was offered to a State Department spending bill by Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Republican who is leaving Congress and who has been an outspoken critic of US Middle East policy. Al Jazeera said nearly half of Democrats voted in favour, reflecting a widening gap between US progressives and Israel over the war in Gaza.
The outlets did not report any immediate reaction from Israeli officials. It also remains to be seen how the end of the aid would be carried out, and whether the 2028 agreement would be formally revised.