On the morning of Election Day, with Americans heading to the polls, President Donald Trump made a statement that took many people in Washington and Jerusalem by surprise.
In a phone interview on "Fox & Friends," Trump said U.S. military aid to Israel, about $4 billion a year, would stop at the end of 2026. Two days later, Israel's president said the announcement hit him "like a bolt from the blue."
What Trump said
Trump told the program that Israel no longer needs the money. He said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed months earlier that the payments would end by the end of the year. According to Trump, Netanyahu raised the idea himself, because he understands the aid is a point of contention for Democrats.
Asked whether he meant weapons or cash, Trump said it could be defined any way, calling it barter, military aid or cash. He also said Israel can buy whatever it wants, and that if it did need the money, he would say keep it going.
He gave a political reason too. Trump said U.S. aid to Israel has become a bad talking point, singling out Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who won his race. He asked why Republicans should suffer for it when Israel is not in need.
What the current deal says
The aid comes from a 10-year memorandum of understanding, or MOU, signed in 2016 under President Barack Obama and covering fiscal years 2019 through 2028. According to the Congressional Research Service, the U.S. pledged $38 billion, subject to congressional appropriation, made up of $33 billion in military financing grants and $5 billion for missile defense. That works out to about $3.8 billion a year.
Because Israel has to spend most of the money on American weapons, it flows back to U.S. defense manufacturers. A key point is that the agreement runs through 2028, which is why it is unclear how the White House could stop payments this year.
Netanyahu has talked about this before, but not like this
Israel's prime minister has said openly that he wants to reduce his country's reliance on U.S. aid. In January he told The Economist that he wanted to taper it off to zero. In May he told CBS News he wanted to wean Israel off the financial part of the support over the next 10 years. Days before the U.S. election, CNN reported, he told an Israeli news channel that the end of aid was coming.
What none of those comments included was a deadline of the end of this year. As of Thursday, Netanyahu had not publicly commented on Trump's announcement.
Israel's reaction
Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, said he was worried. Speaking to Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party, he pointed out that the MOU is supposed to last until 2028 and stressed the need to form a government instead of heading to repeated elections. Eisenkot, Netanyahu's main rival, demanded that the prime minister give the Israeli public answers that night.
Israeli outlet Ynet reported confusion, with defense and diplomatic officials still lacking details. Some officials believe Trump did not mean the aid would literally stop this year, and was referring instead to a new agreement that would replace the current one. Israeli assessments cited by Ynet say ending the aid would affect at least a million American households that depend on weapons production.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said he is looking for clarification, and defended military aid in an interview with Channel 12.
What is still unclear
- Is there a formal decision? So far there is only Trump's statement. Nothing official has been published.
- Can he do it alone? Critics note that the funding is built into existing and pending legislation, and aid is subject to congressional appropriation.
- Does he mean ending all aid? Trump suggested it could be barter, aid or cash. It is unclear whether he means the grants, missile defense funding or something else.
- What replaces it? The MOU has to be renegotiated by 2028, and the next deal could look very different.
Why it matters politically
Military aid to Israel has grown less popular in both parties, according to CNN. For Democrats, it has become a campaign issue. For Trump, an announcement on Election Day looked, to some observers, like an attempt to take the issue away from his opponents. How much of this will become policy is still to be seen.
Frequently asked questions
Has the U.S. officially ended aid to Israel?
No. Trump made the announcement in an interview. No formal policy change has been published, and the current agreement runs through 2028.
How much aid does Israel get?
About $3.8 billion a year under the 2016 agreement, which Trump rounded to $4 billion.
Did Netanyahu agree?
Trump says yes. Netanyahu has long said he wants to reduce reliance on aid, but has not commented publicly on Trump's timeline.
Related coverage
- What Democrats controlling Congress means for Trump: subpoenas, vetoes and nominees
- Judge blocks Trump's 250-foot arch for 14 days: what happens next
Sources: Jewish Telegraphic Agency, CNN, The Hill, Ynet, The Intercept, The War Zone, Eurasia Review, Congressional Research Service and Associated Press reports, November 3-6, 2026. Developments can change quickly. Last updated: November 6, 2026.
0 Comments
please do not enter any spam link in the comment box