Photo: Dan Scavino / White House
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office on Friday framed the planned end of American financial assistance as a move “from aid to partnership,” in its first public response since President Donald Trump said the roughly $4 billion a year in U.S. funding for Israel would stop by the end of 2026.
“While the aid has been incredibly important, the prime minister has been working with President Trump to make the correct transition out from aid towards partnership and mutual investment,” PMO spokesman Doron Spielman told Fox News.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement posted on X that U.S. military aid to Israel “has always been a cross-the-aisle agreement” and that “today, Israel has a strong and stable economy.” It added: “The move by PM Netanyahu and President Trump from aid to partnership shows the strength and sophistication of our relationship, and its ability to adapt and stand strong over time.”
Trump made the announcement in a phone interview with Fox & Friends on Tuesday, as Americans voted in the midterm elections. “Now, 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. “We’ve already agreed that by the end of this year we won’t be paying Israel. Now we’ll help Israel if they need it.” He said Israel would remain able to buy American weapons and cast the move as taking away a “bad talking point” he said left-wing Democrats had used against Republicans over the funding.
Trump did not say how the funding would be halted. The current 10-year memorandum of understanding, signed in 2016, commits the United States to $38 billion in military aid for fiscal years 2019 through 2028 – $3.3 billion a year in Foreign Military Financing grants plus $500 million a year for joint missile defense programs – subject to congressional appropriation. It does not expire until September 30, 2028.
Talks on how the assistance would evolve beyond 2028 were already under way, and Netanyahu has said he expects American aid to wind down over time. His coalition lost its majority in the October 27 election, and negotiations over a new government are continuing. JBizNews covered the announcement and its unclear funding terms on Tuesday.
JBizNews Desk | Washington
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