Ending US Aid to Israel Is Netanyahu's Trump Card Against Critics
Summary
President Donald Trump said the United States will end nearly $4 billion in annual aid to Israel by the end of the year, describing the move as one Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had raised. The article says Netanyahu may present the change as evidence of Israel’s strength and greater independence, though U.S. aid has long supported Israeli military purchases and joint missile defense programs.Key Facts
- Trump said the decision to end annual aid was made under an agreement with Netanyahu.
- Trump said Netanyahu raised the idea because U.S. aid had become a target for critics of the alliance.
- Netanyahu had previously expressed a desire to reduce Israel’s reliance on U.S. military aid, but the announced deadline is sooner than observers expected.
- A 2016 U.S.-Israel agreement provided $3.8 billion in annual assistance.
- About $3.3 billion of that assistance funded Israeli purchases of U.S. military equipment, while roughly $500 million supported joint missile defense programs.
- The Biden administration expanded assistance after the Gaza war began in October 2023 and withheld certain heavy munitions in May 2024 over humanitarian concerns.
- Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed welcomed Trump's shift on aid, according to the article.
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