US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, that the United States will stop its annual financial assistance to Israel after the end of this year, announcing an agreement he said he reached with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking on Fox News' "Fox and Friends" on Election Day, Trump said the two leaders had agreed months ago to end the roughly $4 billion a year Washington provides to Israel. "We've already agreed that by the end of this year we won't be paying Israel. Now, we'll help Israel if they need it," he said, adding that Israel no longer needs the assistance because it has become "a very thriving country."
Trump framed the move as a straightforward consequence of Israel's economic strength rather than a punishment. "Because they don't need it. If they did need it, I would say 'keep going,'" he said during the interview.
It was not immediately clear precisely what form of assistance Trump was referring to. US assistance to Israel has traditionally been dominated by military and security funding, and the US State Department did not immediately respond to requests for clarification. Trump himself described the figure in broad terms, saying the money could be defined as military aid, cash, or goods supplied to Israel.
The announcement lands on a sensitive fault line in American politics. Military aid to Israel, and the role of pro-Israel donors in US campaigns, has become a flashpoint for both parties this year. In July, the House of Representatives voted 314 to 104 to defeat an amendment that would have cut off aid to Israel, even as nearly half of Democrats supported it — a sign of a growing divide, particularly among progressives, over US support for Israel's war in Gaza.
Trump said the agreement had been in place for some time and was not a sudden decision. He said Netanyahu had raised the issue himself during discussions that stretched back a couple of years, and that Israel was "fine with it." The president also stressed that the door remains open: if Israel needs help in the future, the United States would still provide it.
The announcement came as Americans voted in midterm elections that will decide control of Congress for the remainder of Trump's second term, with all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, and 36 governorships on the ballot. It also comes as the administration pursues parallel diplomacy in the Middle East, with Qatari mediators working on a draft agreement aimed at restarting direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
What happens next will depend on the details. Whether the cutoff covers the full military assistance package, how existing commitments are treated, and whether Congress attempts to intervene all remain open questions — and ones that will be watched closely in Jerusalem, Washington, and across the region in the weeks ahead.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Daily Caller, Fox News.
Post a Comment