Trump announces suspension of $4 billion in aid to Israel - Sarmad

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had reached an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt military aid to Israel by the end of this year.

Trump told Fox News that Israel no longer needs such assistance, and that some Democrats and left-wing politicians are using U.S. funding for Israel as a pretext to criticize Republicans.

Trump added, “We provide $4 billion annually to Israel, and we agreed months ago to stop that.” He said, “We have already agreed that we will not pay money to Israel by the end of this year. Now we will help Israel if it needs assistance.”

Trump said he could not allow “the undermining of my administration’s achievements due to Israel being exploited by candidates like Abdul Sid in Michigan.”

He added, “Abdul Sid keeps questioning why we give $4 billion annually to Israel, and halting aid will remove this issue.”

It was not immediately clear exactly what type of funding Trump was referring to. A memorandum of understanding providing $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid to Israel is nearing its expiration in 2028, and discussions are currently underway regarding how U.S. assistance to Israel will evolve after that date.

Popular support in the United States for Israel has declined since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in 2023, particularly among Democrats. A June poll by Quinnipiac University showed that 48% of voters and 66% of Democrats believe the United States is over-supporting Israel, a significant increase from the 16% and 20% recorded, respectively, when the question was first asked in 2017.

Support for Israel among Democratic voters has dropped sharply, with candidates who criticize Israel winning Democratic primary elections. Even moderate lawmakers have become more willing to challenge decades of U.S. support for Israel.