Trump moves to end $3.8bn annual military aid to Israel

LUS President Donald Trump has announced plans to end a 10-year military assistance agreement that provides Israel with $3.8bn annually, saying the country no longer needs Washington’s financial support.

Trump disclosed the decision on Tuesday during an interview on the US television programme, Fox and Friends, saying he had reached an understanding with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discontinue the arrangement.

The agreement, which began in 2019, was signed under former US President Barack Obama three years earlier and was due to run until 2028.

“We’ll help Israel if they need it,” Trump said, adding that Israel was comfortable with ending the assistance.

“Israel’s our number one; we give them more than anybody else, and they no longer need it. If they did need it, I would say keep it going,” he added.

Under the agreement, the US provides Israel with $3.8bn annually to support the purchase of American military equipment and weapons.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Israel has received more than $300bn in US economic and military assistance, adjusted for inflation, since its establishment in 1948, making it the largest recipient of American aid since 1946.

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Netanyahu has previously expressed interest in reducing Israel’s dependence on US military assistance.

In June, he called for greater military autonomy, while in January he told The Economist that he hoped to reduce the country’s reliance on Washington within a decade.

In May, he also told US broadcaster CBS that he wanted American military assistance to eventually reach “zero”.

Trump also linked his decision to growing criticism of US support for Israel, citing attacks from Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who has campaigned on growing public discontent and anti-Israel sentiment.

“Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like an El-Sayed when they don’t need it?” Trump said.