Donald Trump announced Tuesday, November 3rd that he would end the aid to Israel paid annually by Washington in late 2026. According to his interview with Fox & Friends reported by Al Jazeera, the U.S. president claims to have concluded this agreement with Benjamin Netanyahu several months earlier. He mentioned an annual amount of $4 billion.
However, it maintains the possibility of assisting Israel if necessary. This reservation prohibits reading his statement as the announcement of a complete breakdown of American military cooperation.
Help to Israel: Trump’s deadline
The announcement sets a political horizon, but the financial modalities remain to be specified. The comments available do not detail the programmes concerned or the treatment of commitments already made. Nor can they conclude that arms deliveries or contracts are being cancelled immediately.
The distinction is essential: budget subsidies, arms sales and defence cooperation are not the same commitment. Ending annual funding does not, therefore, alone mean interrupting all military relations between the two countries.
A $38 billion framework until 2028
The terms of reference are based on the memorandum signed in September 2016 under Barack Obama. It provides $38 billion over fiscal years 2019 to 2028. This total includes 33 billion external military funding and five billion dedicated to missile defence.
The usual annual distribution is $3.3 billion in military funding and $500 million in anti-missile programs. The total is 3.8 billion, against the four billion cited by Trump. These amounts do not necessarily cover exceptional aid granted separately.
The funding goes through the appropriations voted in Congress. A presidential announcement is therefore not sufficient to establish that all applicable budgetary provisions have already been amended. The challenge will be to know the mechanisms chosen and how they relate to existing authorities and appropriations.
The perimeter of the stop still to be established
The end of the 2026 calendar year does not correspond to the end of the US federal fiscal year, set at 30 September. The timetable should therefore be specified, in particular for payments already committed.
At this point, the elements consulted do not include the text of the agreement mentioned by Donald Trump. They do not confirm an effective cessation of all US aid to Israel. The two Governments’ clarifications on the programmes concerned remain awaited.
Cover: Donald Trump’s official portrait, June 2, 2025. Photo: Daniel Torok / White House, public domain. Source:White House. Editorial layout assisted by IA, Libnanews.
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