“They don’t need it”: Donald Trump announces ending annual US aid of $3.8 billion for Israel’s security

Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he would end security aid to Israel, which ran until 2028, in the annual amount of $3.8 billion, during a telephone interview on Fox News. “We give Israel $4 billion a year, and we reached an agreement months ago that we would stop,” explained the President of the United States, a key ally of Israel, assuring that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “agreed.”

“Israel is a very prosperous country. They don’t need it,” the Republican billionaire continued, before adding: “We will help Israel if they need it.” This American security assistance to Israel began in 2019, for a period of ten years. The agreement was signed three years earlier by Donald Trump's predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama.

A wish from the Israeli Prime Minister

According to this agreement, Israel received financial assistance for the purchase of arms to the tune of approximately $3.8 billion per year. The Israeli prime minister has in the past expressed his desire to end Israel's dependence on financial support from its American ally. In May, Benjamin Netanyahu told the American channel CBS that he intended to reduce this support to “zero”.

In his interview with Fox News on Tuesday, the day of the crucial midterm elections for the last two years of his presidency, Donald Trump shared remarks made by the Democratic candidate for the Senate for Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, a member of the left wing of the party, and very critical of Israel.

“Why should we put up with attacks from weirdos like this El-Sayed” when Israel does not need this support, the president said. The war in the Gaza Strip, launched by Israel in retaliation for the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, is a source of deep divisions in the United States, particularly among Democrats.