Trump says US will stop paying Israel $4bn in aid after this year

US President Donald Trump has said the United States will stop providing funding to Israel after the end of this year, under a deal he says he reached with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Arab News, Al Jazeera and The Independent reported his comments.

Trump spoke to Fox News' Fox and Friends after voting in the US midterm elections began. He said Washington gives Israel $4bn a year and that the deal to stop was made months ago. "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.

He added: "We've already agreed that by the end of this year we won't be paying Israel. Now we'll help Israel if they need it." Al Jazeera reported that the form of aid he was discussing was not immediately clear. The Independent said Trump argued that Israel no longer requires Washington's support.

According to The Independent, Trump also said some politicians on the Left were using funding for Israel as a talking point to attack Republicans. He said the US would have to finish the job against Iran alone if Israel has the wrong leader.

Military aid to Israel, and campaign contributions from Israel's backers to US candidates, have been a flashpoint for both Democrats and Republicans this year, Al Jazeera reported. In July the US House of Representatives defeated an amendment to cut off aid to Israel, with nearly half of Democrats supporting it. The vote was 314 to 104. The amendment was offered to a State Department spending bill by outgoing Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

The Independent cited the Council on Foreign Relations as saying Israel has received more than $300bn, adjusted for inflation, in economic and military aid since 1948. At least $21.7bn in military aid was transferred in the first two years after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks.

The announcement comes as the US and Israel have yet to resolve an eight-month conflict with Iran. The Independent reported that Washington carried out renewed strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island overnight while Qatari mediators stepped up efforts to avoid another escalation. Netanyahu is fighting to remain in office after failing to hold his majority in last week's elections, and Trump is under pressure to end the unpopular war as midterm voting begins. The vote will decide who controls Congress for the last two years of his presidency.