President Trump said the US will stop military aid to Israel by the end of the year. He claimed the country no longer needed the $4bn annual funding. Trump said, "He brought it up. He said, 'I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid'."
President makes surprise announcement to halt $4bn annual funding, which has featured prominently in midterm campaigning
Donald Trump has said the US will stop providing military aid to Israel at the end of the year, saying the country "no longer needed it, and describing it as a "bad talking point" as Americans headed to the polls in midterm elections.
"Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like an El-Sayed when [Israelis] don't need it?" Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday morning, referring to Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who has been a sharp critic of US support for Israel.
The US provides almost $4bn in annual military assistance to Israel as part of a 10-year agreement that is set to expire in 2028. The funding has been a focus of intense debate due to Israel's devastating offensive in Gaza and has featured prominently in the midterm campaigning.
It was not immediately clear whether the president can unilaterally halt the funding, which is appropriated by Congress. While Trump has broad authority to pause weapons transfers, any attempt to cancel funds allocated by lawmakers could face restrictions.
The move is also likely to face significant pushback from within Trump's Republican Party.
Support for military aid to Israel has fallen sharply among Democrats but a poll last month by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found that 68 per cent of Republicans favour continuing or increasing military aid to the country.
Trump claimed on Tuesday that he had reached an agreement with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut off the aid.
"He brought it up. He said, 'I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid, because he understands that this is one of their points of contention'." Trump said.
The Israeli prime minister's office and the Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Netanyahu has in recent months warned that US aid to Israel could be scaled back. In an interview with Israeli Channel 10 last month, he said it was "only a matter of time" before Washington's funding for Israel's military was cut.
He also said in an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes earlier this year that he and Trump had discussed gradually weaning Israel off US military aid.
However, Netanyahu told 60 Minutes that he had proposed scaling back the aid over the course of a decade, and has given no public indication that he had agreed for aid to cease as soon as this year.
US support has played a key role in helping Israel finance the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas's October 7 2023 attack, and has become Israel's longest and most expensive conflict, triggering a surge in military spending.
Under the terms of the agreement between the two countries, which was signed under the Obama administration, the US provides Israel with $3.3bn in annual funding, which it can use to purchase US weapons.
The arrangement also includes $500mn annually earmarked for joint projects such as the Iron Dome and David's Sling, air-defence systems that protect against rockets, drones and missiles.