Netanyahu Responds to Trump’s Plan to End US Military Aid to Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office responded on Friday for the first time to U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that American aid to Israel would be discontinued. The response, published exclusively in English on social media, came three days after Trump declared in an interview that the payments would end by the close of the year. Rather than denying the president’s remarks, Netanyahu’s office emphasized a shift from a traditional aid arrangement to a strategic partnership.

“U.S. military assistance to Israel has always enjoyed bipartisan support,” the statement read. Addressing criticism in the United States over financial assistance to Israel, the Prime Minister’s Office added: “Israel has used it both to defend itself and to confront enemies that threaten America and the West.”

The statement continued: “Today, Israel has a strong and stable economy. Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump’s transition from aid to partnership demonstrates the strength and sophistication of our relationship, as well as its ability to adapt and endure over time.”

In an interview with Fox News earlier in the week, Trump announced that the United States would halt the payments. He said that several months ago, he had reached an agreement with Netanyahu “regarding the payment of $4 billion every year.” The American president explained that Israel is a successful country that no longer needs the money and made clear that the assistance would end “by the end of the year.”

Nevertheless, Trump stressed that the United States would continue to stand by Israel. “We’ll help them if they need it. Israel is a very good ally, the best,” he said.

The current U.S. military aid agreement was signed during the Obama administration for a ten-year period and provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually through 2028. Netanyahu had previously proposed gradually reducing American assistance over a decade rather than ending it immediately.

Before Trump’s announcement, officials at Israel’s Finance Ministry were reportedly unaware of any plan to immediately terminate the assistance, despite the funding already being incorporated into defense budget planning for 2027 and 2028.