Speaking on “Fox & Friends” on election day morning, President Trump said Israel’s economic position meant the aid was no longer necessary.
“Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal … that we’re stopping,” President Trump stated. “They don’t need it. Israel is a very thriving country.”
President Trump said Washington would continue supporting Israel if necessary even after the annual assistance ends.
“So it’s just a wasted thing, since we’ve already agreed that by the end of this year, we won’t be paying Israel,” President Trump said. “We’ll help Israel if they need it. They’ve been a great ally, and we’ve been the greatest of all allies.”
The existing 10-year memorandum of understanding on US military assistance provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually and does not expire until the end of next year. The agreement requires the majority of the funding to be spent on weapons manufactured in the United States.
American weapons would remain available for Israel to purchase, President Trump said. His announcement concerns monetary grants and funded military equipment rather than Israel’s ability to buy US-manufactured military hardware.
US funding and military assistance to Israel have become prominent issues in American elections as partisan consensus and public opinion have shifted.
The announcement would accelerate a change Netanyahu has publicly advocated but previously described as a gradual process. Netanyahu has repeatedly spoken about moving Israel from an aid recipient to a partner and ending US military assistance over the next decade. President Trump’s stated timetable would instead end the assistance this year.
