Trump’s plan to end $4 billion in annual aid leaves Israel surprised
Trump announced on Tuesday, as Americans voted in the midterm elections, that he had reached an agreement with Netanyahu to end the $4 billion in annual US funding to Israel after this year.
Israeli president Isaac Herzog has said US President Donald Trump’s announcement that Washington would end its annual military aid to Israel came as a surprise, describing it as “like a bolt from the blue”, amid growing political debate in the United States over military assistance to its Middle East ally. However, he said Washington would continue selling weapons to its close Middle East ally.
The announcement marked a significant shift in US policy, particularly as the existing agreement provides Israel with $3.8 billion in annual military assistance until September 2028. He expressed concern over the decision, pointing out that the existing US-Israel memorandum of understanding (MoU) on military assistance was due to remain in force until 2028. We have an (memorandum of understanding) with the US that is supposed to last until 2028 and this is one of the major goals, and therefore a government must be formed and not go to repeated elections,” Herzog said.
The US president appeared to acknowledge that military aid to Israel had become a political liability for Republicans, saying the move was partly intended to remove a “bad talking point” that left-wing Democrats had used against his party over its support for Israel. Vice President JD Vance had said on X that the US-Israel relationship contributed to Republican losses in the midterm elections. Herzog raised the issue during a meeting with the Yashar party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, a key rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The issue of the American aid worries me greatly, and it also fell on me like a bolt from the blue. The announcement also drew attention to growing divisions within the Republican Party over the relationship with Israel.
Trump did not explain how the funding would be halted before the agreement expires.