Photo via White House
U.S. president Donald Trump said the country's US$4 billion (S$5.1 billion) annual funding to Israel will be cut off after the end of 2026.
According to him, Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the one who suggested it.
“Now, as far as paying Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal that we give Israel US$4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping,” Trump told "Fox and Friends" on Fox News over a call after voting in the midterm elections began on Nov. 3 (U.S. time).
“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,” Trump added.
However, it was not clear what type of aid Trump was referring to in his comments or if his remarks were directed at voters critical of U.S. support for Israel.
Stymie Democrat attacks?
Trump did mention Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as he accused Democrats of weaponising U.S. assistance to Israel as a "talking point" to attack Republicans.
El-Sayed is a vocal critic of U.S. support for Israel.
Trump said: “Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like an El-Sayed when they don’t need it?"
"It’s a bad, it’s a bad talking point,” he continued.
Trump said Israeli prime minister had proactively sought the aid cut-off.
“Can I be honest with you, [Netanyahu] brought it up, he said, ‘I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid’, because he understands this is one of their points of contention.”
No confirmation
Al Jazeera and other media reported that there was no confirmation from Israel regarding what Trump said.
BBC reported that a memorandum of understanding that provides US$3.8 billion a year in military assistance to Israel expires at the end of 2028, and not 2026.
Previously, Netanyahu said in a May 2026 CBS interview that he wanted to "draw down" financial aid to Israel "to zero" from the annual US$3.8 billion the country receives.
He said: "Let's start now and do it over the next decade, over the next 10 years, but I want to start now," he said. "I don't want to wait for the next Congress. I want to start now."
Israel has been the largest recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since the end of World War II, according to the BBC.
