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Israeli finance ministry was unaware of plans to end US military aid: Report
Developed over time first seen 10 hours ago
Israeli finance ministry officials were caught off guard by US President Donald Trump’s announcement on 3 November that Washington would end roughly $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by the end of 2026, according to Israeli media reports. One official said the ministry knew of an intention to end the assistance but had received no formal document from the prime minister’s office setting out an immediate halt. Defence officials were also reportedly surprised. Trump said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had raised the idea and that they had discussed it for months; the reported surprise among officials leaves unclear how widely any plan had been communicated within Israel’s government.
The proposed timetable is much faster than the existing US–Israel aid arrangement, which runs through the 2028 financial year and provides $3.8 billion annually, subject to congressional appropriations. Two finance ministry sources told ABC News that Trump’s remarks surprised them; one said Israel’s forthcoming budget had already been drafted on the basis of the current arrangement. Netanyahu has previously advocated phasing out US military aid, but the practical scope and timing of Trump’s announcement remain unclear. Congress would have a role in any change to the funding.
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In short
- Israeli finance officials reportedly had no advance warning of an immediate aid halt.
- Trump said roughly $4 billion in annual US military aid would end in 2026.
- The current aid arrangement runs through 2028, leaving the timetable uncertain.
How this story developed
- 4 hours ago Israeli finance ministry officials were caught off guard by US President Donald Trump’s announcement on 3 November that Washington would end roughly $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by the end of 2026, according to Israeli media reports.
- Middle East Eye Israeli finance ministry was unaware of plans to end US military aid: Report
- ABC News Trump says $4 billion in Israel military aid will end this year, citing political reasons
- Congressional Research Service Israel: Major Issues and U.S. Relations
Full account
President Donald Trump has said the United States will stop providing military aid to Israel by the end of this year, describing the move as an agreement reached months ago with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He made the remarks in a Fox News interview as Americans voted in the 2026 midterm elections, in response to a question about antisemitism and changing attitudes towards arms sales to Israel.
Trump said the United States provides Israel with about $4 billion a year and argued that the country no longer needs the assistance. He also said the issue gives Democratic candidates a political argument against Republicans. Asked why aid should end, he referred to Israel’s strength and said Netanyahu had raised the matter. Trump did not explain which forms of assistance would stop or how the change would be implemented.
The account says Netanyahu had not publicly commented at the time of publication, and that requests for comment to his office and Israel’s defence ministry had not received an immediate response. It cites an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll from the previous month in which 58 per cent of respondents favoured reducing or ending US military support for Israel. The report also places Trump’s comments in the context of a closely contested Michigan Senate race, where Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed has argued that his responsibility would be to Michigan’s children rather than the interests of a foreign government.
A Congressional Research Service overview updated in July 2026 describes longstanding US-Israeli military cooperation and says US assistance, generally above $3.8 billion annually, has helped build Israel’s military capabilities. It also notes increased congressional scrutiny of aid and arms sales, including potential sales notified in 2025 and 2026. That background sets out the scale and strategic context of US support, but does not address Trump’s reported agreement or verify that aid is due to end this year. The reports therefore leave unresolved how the proposed change would work and what assistance it would cover.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The first source reports Trump’s interview comments, his political rationale and the surrounding election context. The second is a broad CRS background report on US-Israel relations, aid and arms sales; it gives historical and policy context but does not report on, or corroborate, the claimed agreement to end aid.
The first source describes annual assistance as $4 billion, while the CRS overview characterises it as generally more than $3.8 billion annually. These figures are presented in different contexts and are not necessarily contradictory.
The first source says Israeli officials had not immediately responded to requests for comment. The CRS material supplied contains no response from Israeli officials. The first source also refers to an Ipsos poll; the supplied CRS extract does not discuss public opinion polling.
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