US President Donald Trump has said the United States will stop providing financial assistance to Israel by the end of this year, claiming that he has reached an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on ending the aid.
In an interview with Fox News programme ‘Fox & Friends’ after voting began in the US midterm elections, Trump said Washington had been providing Israel with $4 billion annually but had agreed with Netanyahu several months ago to end the financial assistance.
“We have already agreed that, by the end of this year, we will no longer give money to Israel. However, we will help them if they need it,” Trump said.
Although Trump indicated that regular financial assistance would end, he did not clarify what form of support the United States would provide if Israel needed assistance.
The United States and Israel have a 10-year agreement covering $38 billion in US military assistance from 2018 to 2028. Netanyahu had also previously expressed his desire to gradually reduce Israel's dependence on US military aid.
- MaT