Trump Says US Will End Annual Military Aid to Israel by End of 2026
The president says he reached an agreement with Benjamin Netanyahu to end roughly $4 billion in annual assistance, but questions remain over implementation.
Photo: Generated by Breaking Global News.US President Donald Trump has said the United States will end its annual military assistance to Israel by the end of 2026, announcing a proposed change to a long-standing security relationship between the two countries.
In a November 3 interview with Fox News, Trump said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reached an agreement months earlier to stop the funding. He argued that Israel had become economically and militarily capable of supporting itself and no longer needed the assistance.
Trump referred to approximately $4 billion in annual support and said the United States would continue helping Israel if necessary. He also indicated that Israel would remain able to purchase American weapons, suggesting that ending direct assistance would not mean an end to military cooperation.
The president also connected the announcement to domestic political debate in the United States. He questioned why his administration should continue providing billions of dollars when the issue has become a target of criticism from Democratic politicians, including Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
However, the announcement raises questions about how quickly the funding could actually end. The current US-Israel security assistance agreement, signed in 2016, provides $38 billion over 10 years for fiscal years 2019 through 2028. That includes approximately $3.3 billion annually in Foreign Military Financing and $500 million for joint missile defence programmes.
The agreement is not scheduled to expire until the end of fiscal year 2028. Trump did not explain how the proposed early cutoff would affect existing commitments, contracts or funds already approved by Congress. The administration has not publicly provided a detailed implementation plan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously spoken about gradually reducing Israel’s dependence on American military assistance. However, he had not publicly confirmed the specific early cutoff described by Trump as of November 3.
The announcement could reshape discussions over US-Israel defence cooperation, military procurement and future security arrangements. For now, Trump's statement signals a proposed policy change, but the timing and practical details remain unresolved.
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