Nov 3, 3:01 PM
Trump Says US Will Cease Annual Financial Aid to Israel
The US President announced an agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end 4 billion dollars in recurring annual funding by year-end.
United States President Donald Trump announced that Washington will cease its annual financial aid to Israel by the end of the year following an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking during an interview on Fox News' "Fox and Friends", Trump stated that the two leaders agreed months ago to stop the recurring payments of 4 billion dollars per year.
The statement was made after voting commenced in the United States midterm elections. Trump added that Washington would remain willing to provide assistance to Israel on an as-needed basis in the future. “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 during the broadcast.
Military funding for Israel and political campaign contributions from supporters of Israel have emerged as prominent points of debate for both Democratic and Republican political figures this year. Public criticism of Israel by American political leaders in recent years marks a shift from decades of consistent bipartisan support.
The announcement follows legislative efforts in Washington regarding foreign funding. In July, the United States House of Representatives rejected a proposed amendment to a State Department spending bill that sought to cut off aid to Israel.
The amendment was introduced by outgoing Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky and a critic of American foreign policy in the Middle East. The measure was defeated in a vote of 314 to 104 in the House. Nearly half of the Democratic lawmakers supported the amendment, highlighting divisions among US progressives regarding Israel and the war in Gaza.
Written by Freya Stensrud freya.stensrud@alpineweekly.com
