Trump says US will end $4bn annual aid to Israel
The US president told Fox News he and Benjamin Netanyahu agreed months ago to stop the payments, saying Israel no longer needs the money.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington will stop giving Israel $4 billion a year after the end of 2026, describing the decision as one he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu settled months ago.
Trump made the remark in an interview on Fox News' Fox and Friends programme. Israel no longer needs the funding, he said. He also said some Democrats and left-wing politicians were using US financial support for Israel as a talking point to criticise Republicans.
"Now, as far as paying Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal that we give Israel $4bn a year, and we made a deal months ago that we're stopping," Trump said, in remarks quoted by Pakistan's Dawn newspaper.
Trump presented the arrangement as a deal between the two leaders. The reports did not say what mechanism would end the payments, whether Congress had been consulted, or what would replace the annual sum, beyond his statement that the money stops after this year.
The reports described the money in different terms. Reuters called it "military aid" in one headline and "funding" in another. Haaretz said the United States would end its "annual aid" to Israel by the year's end. France 24 called it $4 billion in aid.
None of the reports carried an immediate response from Netanyahu's office or from the White House. None reported a formal notification of the change, and no Israeli official was quoted reacting to the interview.
Trump linked the decision to domestic US politics, saying the funding had become a target for Democrats and left-wing politicians attacking Republicans. Washington's annual funding to Israel has been a continuing subject of argument in American politics, and Trump said that was part of his reasoning.
His comments set out no date inside 2026 beyond "the end of this year" for the payments to stop, and gave no figure for how much would have been paid by then.
Trump spoke from the United States; the money he described goes to Israel, whose government has not publicly commented in any of the reports carried so far.
How the reports differ
Dawn carried the fullest account, quoting Trump directly and reporting his claim that Democrats and left-wing politicians use US support for Israel as a talking point against Republicans; the other outlets summarised that passage without the quotation. Reuters described the money as "military aid" in one headline and "funding" in another, while Haaretz called it "annual aid" and set the cut at the year's end rather than at the end of 2026. France 24 and Dawn both led with Trump's statement that Israel no longer needed the aid.
Watch
Israel elections chief says Qatar funding inquiry will not overturn vote
Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg says suspicions against the Arab-led Raam party remain unproven and the Knesset result stands whatever the Shin Bet finds.
Carney says Canada-US trade teams to work on deal in coming weeks
Canada's prime minister reports a "good conversation" with Trump after August talks collapsed and Washington tariffed about $20bn of Canadian goods.
Trump says one or two Iran targets remain as Tehran warns of reprisals
The US president says remaining Iranian nuclear sites could be hit in "10 minutes", while Iran's supreme leader warns of a response with no "geographic limits".
Oil rises after reported US strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island
Officials quoted by Reuters called the operation "defensive"; Anadolu reported explosions along Iran's southern coast and Washington has not announced the strikes.
China urges Iran talks as Saudi strike hits Yemen's Houthi-held port
Wang Yi tells Iran's security council deputy in Beijing that negotiation is the only path, as Houthi attacks disrupt flights from Saudi airports.
Iran proposes two-day plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Washington must first release frozen funds and lift a naval blockade, as an Iranian delegation meets mediators in Qatar.
Sudanese groups oppose UAE nominee for UN secretary general
Diaspora activists and rights monitors cite Lana Nusseibeh's rejection of allegations that the Emirates arms Sudan's RSF, as a Security Council straw poll nears
Iran and Qatari mediators enter third day of Doha talks
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says a "two-day proposal" is still under discussion, with Washington's midterm elections days away.