The President claimed he reached a deal with Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the yearly payments after the end of this year.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington will stop providing $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel starting in 2027. Speaking to Fox News' Fox and Friends on the day of the US midterm elections, Trump stated that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reached a deal months ago to end the payments.
According to reports from Moneycontrol and Deccan Herald, Trump said the two leaders had discussed ending the assistance for several years. He claimed that Netanyahu had approached him about the matter and that Israel no longer requires the financial support. Trump noted that while the annual payments will stop, the US would still help Israel if needed and would continue to sell weapons to the country.
The President accused some Democrats and left-wing politicians of using the funding as a way to criticise Republicans. He specifically mentioned Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate for the US Senate in Michigan, questioning why the US should continue the funding while facing such criticism.
The current security assistance agreement, signed in 2016 under Barack Obama, provides Israel with $3.8 billion every year until 2028 to buy American defence equipment. While Trump indicated the annual assistance would end, he did not specify what form future help might take.
