Trump says US will halt 'contentious' aid to Israel by end of year

United States President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Washington would end its annual $3.8 billion (€3.4 billion) in aid to Israel, based on a mutual decision. The news coincided with midterm elections in which support for Israel has been a contentious issue.

Issued on: 04/11/2026 - 11:34

"We give Israel $4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago that we're stopping," Trump said during a phone interview with Fox News. "Why? Because they don't need it."

Trump said Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "fine" with the decision to end the aid.

It was not immediately clear which ‌exact funding Trump was referring to. 

A memorandum of understanding that provides $3.8 billion (€3.4 billion) annual US military aid to Israel is approaching its expiration date in 2028 and conversations have been under way on how Washington's assistance to Israel would evolve ‌beyond that date.

"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 said. 

"The Left uses the $4 billion payment that ⁠everybody knows about – well, it's no secret – as a signal of unfairness, and we can't allow that to happen," Trump said.

There was no ​immediate comment from Netanyahu's office on Trump's remarks.

Democrats win US Congress in midterm rout of Trump

Trump's announcement came as Americans voted in crucial midterm elections, which saw the Democrats gain control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

This means they will determine the direction of Congress for the last two years of Trump's presidency.

Since its founding in 1948, Israel has received more than $300 billion (adjusted for inflation) in US economic and military assistance, according to the Council on Foreign Relations – far more than any other country in that time period.

Netanyahu has in the past expressed a desire to end Israel's dependence on US aid. In May, he told US broadcaster CBS that he wanted to reduce US support to zero.

Tuesday's announcement was met with backlash from Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who said it showed that Netanyahu must go.

"The fact that Israel's defence establishment is learning of a shift in our strategic relationship through the media, at the same time as the Israeli public, shows just how dangerous Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct is," Eisenkot said in a statement. "He can no longer be trusted and must be replaced."

US-backed Gaza peace plan ‘fails to overcome central obstacles’, warns expert

The Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, launched in response to Hamas's 7 October, 2023 attack on Israel, has created deep divisions within the US, with polls showing a growing number of Americans in favour of cutting aid to Israel.

A June poll by Quinnipiac University found 48 percent of voters and 66 percent of Democrats believe the US is too ​supportive of Israel – up from 16 percent and 20 percent when the question was first asked in 2017.

The announcement also comes amid an eight-month war against Iran, with Trump confirming on Tuesday that the US military had carried out new strikes there.

Trump cited criticism from leftist Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who won Michigan's US Senate race over former Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers, making him the first Muslim elected to the upper chamber of Congress.

He had notably harnessed popular discontent and anti-Israel sentiment, as part of the reasoning behind the decision to end the aid package.

"Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like an El-Sayed when they don't need it? It's a bad talking point," Trump said on Fox, referring to the aid for Israel.

(with newswires)

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