Trump will end Israel’s $4 Billion Assistance!
Washington, Nov 3 (EFE).-
United States President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States will end its $4 billion annual military and economic assistance to Israel by the end of 2026, claiming the country no longer needs the financial support.
“We were giving them (Israel) $4 billion – we are – but it gets cut off at the end of the year,” Trump said in a telephone interview with Fox News.
Trump described the assistance as military aid or cash, saying Israel was a prosperous country that no longer needed US support.
“Israel’s our number one. We give them more than anybody else, and they no longer need it,” he said.
Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had initially raised the possibility of ending the assistance, arguing that it had become a source of controversy. The president described Israel as a reliable ally.
“He brought it up. He said, ‘I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid,’” Trump said.
The announcement comes as the issue of US assistance to Israel has become part of the political debate surrounding Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which Republicans are seeking to retain control of Congress.
The existing US-Israel military aid agreement, signed in 2016, provides for $3.8 billion in annual assistance from 2019 through 2028. It remains unclear how Trump’s proposed cutoff would affect that commitment.
Trump and Netanyahu have maintained a close political alliance, although they have differed over the war against Iran, launched by the United States and Israel more than eight months ago.
Efforts to reach a peace agreement with Iran remain stalled. Trump has favored giving diplomatic negotiations more time and has said he prefers a negotiated settlement, while leaving open the possibility of further military action. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has continued to push for additional strikes. EFE
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