President Donald Trump said the US will stop providing funding to Israel at the end of the year, following a deal he struck with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a telephone interview with Fox News on Tuesday morning, Trump said that a deal had been reached “months ago” that will see the US stop providing $4bn (£2.98bn) each year.
“We’ve already agreed that by the end of this year we won’t be paying Israel,” Trump said. ”Now we’ll help Israel if they need it.”
It is unclear what funds the president was referring to, although a memorandum of understanding that provides $3.8bn in military assistance to Israel expires at the end of 2028.
The BBC has contacted the White House for clarification. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office has yet to comment.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump said that Israel no longer needs American funding.
“As far as paying Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal that we give Israel $4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping,” he said.
He also accused Democrats of weaponising US assistance to Israel as a “talking point” with which to attack Republicans.
Trump said that Israel can purchase weapons from the US if necessary. The contours of any new procurement or investment arrangement to help Israel’s military remain unclear.
In a May interview with CBS, the BBC’s US partner, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he wants to “draw down” US financial support to Israel “to zero” from the annual $3.8bn the country receives.
“Let’s start now and do it over the next decade, over the next ten years, but I want to start now,” he said. “I don’t want to wait for the next Congress. I want to start now.”
Israel has been the largest recipient of US foreign assistance since the end of the Second World War.
A Congressional report published last year put the total price tag at $174bn, non-inflation-adjusted.
The US-Israel relationship still has substantial bipartisan backing, but support has been softening among Democrats, particularly following the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
In July, Republican lawmaker Thomas Massie forced a vote on a bill to cut $3.3bn in security aid to Israel and he received support from 103 Democrats in the chamber. He was the only Republican to support the amendment. The measure was defeated by 314 votes to 104.
A September poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that nearly half – 48% – of voters believe the US is too supportive of Israel, up from 16% in 2017.
Among Democrats, the figure stands at 67%, compared to 17% for Republicans.
By BBC News
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