Trump: US Aid to Israel Will Stop by End of Year

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that US aid to Israel "will stop by the end of the year," adding that Tel Aviv "does not need it," and emphasizing that Washington will not continue providing funding to Israel after the end of this year.

Trump's remarks regarding aid to Israel, an issue that divides US voters and faces growing opposition in both parties, came as voting began in the midterm elections, which will determine the party controlling Congress, and whose results could have implications for Trump's agenda during the final two years of his presidency.

Trump added in an interview with the "Fox & Friends" program on FOX NEWS: "Regarding paying money to Israel, I and Bibi (Benjamin) Netanyahu agreed to provide four billion dollars annually to Israel, but we agreed months ago to stop that." He continued: "We have already agreed that we will not pay any money to Israel by the end of this year... and we will help Israel if it needs help."

He noted that Israel "will have the option to buy weapons, whatever weapons they want."

For decades, the United States has supported Israel's security by providing billions of dollars annually in military aid, alongside close cooperation in intelligence, missile defense, and weapons development.

However, declining political support within the United States for continuing to fund the Israeli army has led members of Congress to propose an alternative based on ending reliance on direct financial aid and replacing it with a legally binding defense, industrial, and technological partnership between the two countries.

Partnership Not Aid
Last August, the US Congress discussed a proposal that would reshape the defense relationship between the United States and Israel, by gradually transitioning from the model of annual military aid to a more integrated defense, technological, and intelligence partnership, a step supporters considered beneficial to Washington, while critics warned it might grant Israel unprecedented influence over US defense capabilities.

The "New York Times" reported that this trend enjoys the support of Trump and Netanyahu, at a time when opposition is growing within the Republican and Democratic parties to continue sending US taxpayer money to fund the Israeli army.

The bill provides for the establishment of an office within the US Department of War "the Pentagon" that is legally obligated to facilitate defense cooperation with Israel, oversee the development of new weapon systems and technologies, test them, and introduce them into service.

Proponents of the proposal believe that the United States will benefit from Israeli innovations in defense and intelligence fields, and that the bilateral relationship will shift from a "donor and recipient" relationship to an equal strategic partnership.

In contrast, opponents warn that close ties may lead to unprecedented overlap between the Israeli military establishment and the US Department of War, which may make it difficult to reverse in the future.

Voters Support Stopping Aid
30% of US voters expressed their support for stopping military aid to Israel, in a poll conducted by "Al Sharq" and "Ipsos" of US voter opinions in October, before the midterm elections, while 22% chose to continue it with additional conditions to protect civilians, and 16% expressed their support for continuing it without new conditions.

31% of the surveyed sample said they were unsure of their position on the issue, according to data from the poll, conducted by "Al Sharq" and "Ipsos" between October 9 and 11, and included 1,020 Americans aged 18 and older.

These results distribute positions across different options regarding the continuation of aid and its conditions. Each option reflects an independent answer; those demanding additional conditions chose to continue aid under those conditions.