Trump says US military aid to Israel will be 'cut off at the end of the year'

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that the United States will stop providing annual funding to Israel after this year, following a deal he says he made with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu months ago. Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump stated that while the current annual payments will cease, the U.S. will still sell weapons to Israel if needed. Trump characterized the decision as a move to remove a "bad talking point" used by left-wing Democrats against Republicans.

Le Monde English reported the announcement was made on midterm election day without apparent detail or consultation. The Daily Maverick noted that the move was made as U.S. voters headed to the polls for midterm elections. While Trump mentioned stopping $4 billion in annual funding, KahawaTungu reported that a memorandum of understanding providing $3.8 billion in annual military assistance is not set to expire until September 2028.

The Jerusalem Post reported that top officials from Israel's defense, foreign, and finance ministries were surprised by the sudden announcement. The report noted that Israel’s defense establishment had been planning to use approximately $8 billion over the next two years for various items, including F-35 and F-15 aircraft, helicopters, and defense interceptors.

Brief written by urgent.news from Le Monde English, Daily Maverick, KahawaTungu, ABC News AU, Jerusalem Post — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.