President Donald Trump said the United States will end its funding to Israel after this year, citing an agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Foto: Instagram)
President Donald Trump said Tuesday, Nov. 3, that the United States will end its funding to Israel after the close of this year. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed months ago to stop a payment he described as $4 billion a year—about 22 billion Brazilian reais—and said Israel no longer needs the money.
“Regarding the payment to Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu and I agreed to give Israel $4 billion a year, and months ago we agreed to stop that payment. They are fine with it,” Trump said. His stated figure differs from the terms of the U.S.-Israel assistance agreement, which provides $3.8 billion annually.
Under the agreement, which covers 2019 through 2028, $3.3 billion a year is allocated to foreign military financing, used mainly to purchase U.S. weapons and technology. Another $500 million is designated for missile-defense programs, including Iron Dome.
Trump linked the issue to the U.S. midterm elections, saying he could lose the congressional majority. He said the left has used the funding as an argument to voters, calling the annual payment a sign of “injustice” and saying, “We can’t allow that to happen.”
Netanyahu’s position as prime minister is also uncertain because the parties supporting him did not win a majority in the Knesset. No other bloc secured a majority, leaving the selection of a head of government dependent on political alliances. The pro-Netanyahu bloc won 53 of the 120 seats; the Zionist opposition bloc, led by General Gadi Eisenkot, won 48, while Arab parties took 19.
