Netanyahu Office Confirms End to US Military Aid by 2026

American military aid to Israel will end by the close of 2026, according to a statement released Friday by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The announcement confirms a surprise declaration made by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, during the morning of the US midterm elections. Under the new plan, the United States will stop providing the $4 billion in annual assistance that has supported the Israeli military for decades.

The timing of the decision caught Israeli officials off guard. The current memorandum of understanding between the two nations secures $3.8 billion annually and does not expire until September 2028. Israeli security and financial officials had not been prepared for the aid to halt two years before the existing contract concludes. Netanyahu has previously advocated for ending the aid, but he had proposed a gradual phase-out over the next ten years rather than an immediate stop.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister’s Office stated that the structure of US-Israel relations is shifting. The statement did not deny Trump’s claim that the aid would end. It described the historical aid as a bipartisan agreement that allowed Israel to defend itself and confront enemies threatening the West. The office argued that Israel’s current strong and stable economy supports the move from aid to a partnership based on mutual investment.

Doron Spielman, the spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office, appeared in a video clip attached to the post. He said the prime minister has been working with President Trump to transition correctly from aid to partnership. The statement’s emphasis on bipartisan support appeared to reference the recent election results, in which Democrats took control of the US House and Senate by large margins. Democrats have increasingly opposed the aid package in recent years, and Trump has also questioned its necessity.

President Isaac Herzog reacted differently to the news. Speaking on Thursday, he described the revelation as a bolt out of the blue. He noted that the current memorandum of understanding runs through 2028, implying that the agreement was not set to expire in the near term. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also addressed the issue in an interview on Channel 12 news. Huckabee said he was unsure whether the aid would end immediately or at the conclusion of the 2028 contract period.

The change occurs against a backdrop of shifting political dynamics in the United States. Support for Israel among Democratic voters has declined, particularly since the war in Gaza. Several anti-Israel candidates won races in Tuesday’s elections. Even moderate lawmakers are now more willing to challenge decades of US support for the Jewish state. The election results signaled a clear dissatisfaction with the administration’s handling of the Iran war and rising consumer prices.

A New York Times report published Thursday revealed that Trump’s top pollster, Tony Fabrizio, joked in a private video call six days before the vote. Fabrizio said that if the Republican Party lost badly, he might seek asylum in Israel. Another aide, James Blair, sarcastically referred to the recent Knesset election, noting that Netanyahu had won and would protect them. These remarks occurred ahead of the historic losses suffered by the GOP at the ballot box.

The financial implications of the aid shift are substantial. Since 1948, Israel has received more than $300 billion in US economic and military assistance, adjusted for inflation. This amount far exceeds the support given to any other country since 1946. While US aid once comprised a large portion of Israel’s military spending, that percentage has declined as the Israeli economy has grown. The Knesset approved a record defense budget of 143 billion new Israeli shekels in March, and the Finance Ministry transferred an additional 15 billion shekels to the Defense Ministry in July. Defense officials indicate a remaining deficit of 40 billion shekels in the budget.