Trump Says He Will End Billions Of Dollars In Military Aid To Israel

President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that the U.S. will end nearly $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel, an unusually timed announcement on Election Day that could set up a standoff with Congress.

The president said on “Fox and Friends” that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed “months ago” to stop the aid by the end of the year.

“They’re fine with it because they’ve become a very successful country,” Trump said. “They don’t need it. And we won’t be paying anymore...we won’t be paying Israel. We’ll help Israel if they need it. They’ve been a great ally.”

The announcement could portend a significant shift in the U.S.-Israel relationship, which has long been underpinned by billions of dollars in American military assistance. Under a 10-year agreement signed during the Obama administration, the U.S. committed to providing Israel with $38 billion in military aid between 2019 and 2028.

The earlier time frame raises questions about how the administration intends to suddenly halt the assistance, and whether Congress would need to approve the change. More than 90 percent of the money is directed to American defense companies, essentially never leaving the U.S.

The Pentagon referred questions to the White House, which did not respond to a request for comment. The Israeli embassy could not be reached for comment.

Trump, in the interview on Tuesday morning, said the annual assistance to Israel is a “bad talking point” for Democrats, including Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. “The left uses the $4 billion payment … as a signal of unfairness. And we can’t allow that to happen. I don’t like that. … It’s almost too easy to target.”

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who unsuccessfully pushed to cut military assistance to Israel while in Congress, suggested the announcement was motivated by Republicans’ political troubles ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.

“Amazing how being on the verge of Republicans getting wiped out in the midterms changes hearts and minds,” Greene wrote on social media. “Trump getting permission from Netanyahu to end annual aid to Israel isn’t going to change today’s election results. But it does show you how bad the polling is on that issue.”

The announcement also comes just a week after Israel’s parliamentary elections left Netanyahu fighting to hold onto power. His Likud party emerged with the most seats, but his right-wing coalition fell short of the 61 seats needed for a majority, teeing up difficult negotiations to form a new government.

Israel's standing in the United States has eroded over the past three years amid public outrage over the country’s actions in the Gaza war. Many Democrats increasingly favor conditioning if not outright ending U.S military aid to Israel. A growing number of Republicans, eager to reduce U.S. military interventions abroad, see Israel as an obstacle to that goal.

Israel is categorized as a major non-NATO ally, a designation which prioritizes it for arms sales and transfers of excess American military equipment.

The vast majority of the military funding comes in the form of financing that allows Israel to buy U.S. military equipment. It traditionally includes $3.3 billion in foreign military financing and another $500 million for cooperative missile defense programs. The funding counts for less than one percent of the annual U.S. federal budget.

Netanyahu has hinted for years that Israel will have to become more independent of U.S. military financing. He told CBS News earlier this year that he wanted to reduce U.S. support to zero.

Trump insisted the Israeli leader first broached the topic. Netanyahu said, ‘"It would be appropriate if we don't receive aid,' because he understands that this is one of their points of contention.”

But Netanyahu is also keen to maintain U.S.-Israeli defense cooperation, especially on technology. Some in Israeli and American circles want to push for more such partnerships.