What happened
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded to President Donald Trump’s announcement ending U.S. military aid to Israel by characterizing the move as a mutual agreement between allies. The statement said financial support is no longer necessary because Israel has a strong and stable economy.
A spokesman for Netanyahu’s office said Israeli citizens remain appreciative of decades of American financial support. He described the transition from aid to partnership and mutual investment as work undertaken by Netanyahu and Trump.
The aid cut was announced on the day of the 2026 midterm elections. It affects a memorandum of understanding signed a decade ago that allocates $3.8 billion annually to Israel’s military, with most funds required to be spent on U.S.-manufactured weaponry and defense technology.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said they were caught off guard by the announcement. Huckabee said he did not know the timeline and that clarity was being requested.
Defense experts questioned whether the change will take effect as described. Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said it is unclear whether the arrangement will continue under the previous memorandum or be replaced by a new understanding.
Pending Senate legislation called the United States-Israel FUTURES Act would transfer management of U.S.-Israel military relations from the State Department to the Pentagon. A Quincy Institute report warned the change could make the security relationship more opaque and shelter it from regular congressional oversight.
