US President Donald Trump’s announcement on the November 3 election day that the country is permanently halting its financial support for Israel has caused a serious stir. Trump said that annual military aid to Israel amounting to about 4 billion dollars would be cut at the end of 2026. He said Israel is already a strong country and no longer needs financial support.
Although the US President said he had agreed on this with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu months earlier, foreign sources put forward different claims.
The initial reason
According to the information, on the eve of the midterm elections the public most often voiced its dissatisfaction with the economic problems created in the country by the war with Iran. The Trump administration’s unconditional support for Israel, and Washington’s entry into the war with Iran specifically at Tel Aviv’s urging, also increased the discontent. The Democrats likewise campaigned on this issue in the elections; indeed one of the most prominent candidates, the Egyptian-born American Muslim Abdul El-Sayed, directly condemned financial aid to Israel and received very serious public support for it. As a result, the Trump administration took such a decision in order not to lose the people’s trust completely.
“Al-Jazeera” writes that the Democrats’ strongest weapon against the Republicans was also the issue of financial aid to Israel. The public did not want money to be spent outside the country, and the Democrats were able to take advantage of this discontent.
According to “NBC News”, this decision was unexpected for Israeli officials. Alarm was felt among officials of the country’s defense and finance ministries; they had not been warned in advance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his people also avoided making a direct statement on the matter. The publication also stressed that the US’s sustained arms transfers to Israel in regional conflicts had led to the depletion of its own stockpiles.
“The Hill” noted that Israel’s opposition and politicians had disclosed that air defense stockpiles were depleted amid the long-running war. It is reported that the government did not give the public accurate information on this matter.
In an article in “The Times of Israel”, it is noted that President Isaac Herzog, at a meeting with representatives of the opposition “Yeshar” Party, admitted that this news was an unexpected blow for him and described the situation as a lightning strike. The President recalled that the memorandum of agreement between the US and Israel providing for military aid was supposed to end in 2028. It had not been intended to end 2 years early.
Benjamin Netanyahu‘s earlier statement that Israel should escape financial dependence and ensure its own security independently was recalled once again. It is said that Trump also took this decision on the basis of this previously voiced statement.
Note that this aid, amounting to 3.8-4 billion, is not sent directly to Israel. It is kept in Israeli-owned bank accounts in the US, and is paid to local companies in return for weapons purchased from that country. As a result, that equipment and those weapons were sent to Israel.
Ayşən Mustafa
Globalinfo.az
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