President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the United States will stop providing Israel with approximately $4 billion in annual military assistance by the end of 2026, revealing that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached an agreement months ago.
Speaking on Fox & Friends, Trump declared:
“Now, as far as paying Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal that we give Israel $4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping.”
Trump said Israel no longer needs the financial assistance, emphasizing that the decision was mutually agreed upon rather than imposed on Jerusalem.
“Now we’ll help Israel if they need it,” Trump added, making clear that Washington is not abandoning its longtime ally.
According to Reuters, Trump also argued that Democrats and left-wing politicians have used American financial assistance to Israel as a political weapon against Republicans.
The announcement accelerates a shift Netanyahu had already advocated. Earlier this year, the Israeli leader called for gradually eliminating American military aid and replacing the arrangement with a relationship built on strategic cooperation and partnership.
The current U.S.-Israel assistance agreement, negotiated in 2016, provides approximately $3.8 billion annually and was originally scheduled to run through 2028.
But the timing of Trump’s announcement is generating concern in Israel.
Channel 13 diplomatic correspondent Moriah Asraf warned that Trump’s decision to publicize the agreement on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections may reflect declining public support for Israel.
“What is more troubling than the move itself, which, as noted, was coordinated with Israel, is the fact that Trump is saying this on the eve of the midterm elections. In other words, it’s popular,” Asraf said.
“This paints a troubling and worrying picture of Israel’s standing.”
The development represents a potentially historic transformation in U.S.-Israel relations, moving away from decades of direct military assistance toward a partnership in which Israel finances more of its own defense needs.
The central question now is how quickly the agreement will be implemented and what forms of American military cooperation will remain.
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