Trump’s Big Announcement on Israel Means Nothing
On the morning of Election Day, Donald Trump went on Fox & Friends to deliver a surprise announcement: The United States, he said, would be cutting off $4 billion in aid to Israel at the end of the year. “We have a helper, and it’s Israel because, you know, we are the big, they are […]
On Election Day morning, Donald Trump made a surprising announcement during an appearance on Fox & Friends: the United States would stop providing $4 billion in aid to Israel by the end of the year. This move came as supporting Israel had become a politically sensitive issue within the Republican party. Weapons trade experts noted that Trump's statement didn't indicate an end to US funding for Israel's conflicts, but rather a shift in how that financial support would be presented.
The US military aid to Israel would likely continue, but in a less traceable form, such as "joint defense partnerships" or "barter" arrangements. Trump insisted that Israel was a successful nation and didn't require the aid, promising to continue selling weapons to Israel if needed. However, the exact nature of these new arrangements was left unclear.
The move appears to be more of a political maneuver to address anti-Israel sentiment within the Republican party, rather than a genuine policy change. Despite calling the $4 billion aid payment "no secret," Trump acknowledged that it has been used by Democrats to highlight unfairness. The timing of the announcement may have been influenced by Trump's desire to deflect criticism from potential Democratic candidates who have criticized unconditional military aid to Israel.
Written by urgent.news from Mother Jones's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
