Israeli President Isaac Herzog admitted he was caught entirely off guard after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Washington will terminate its multibillion-dollar military assistance package to Israel by the end of 2026. The surprise announcement upends a longstanding bilateral framework and leaves Israeli authorities scrambling to determine the future of their defense funding.
The abrupt shift comes as Trump announced that he reached an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the approximately $4 billion in annual assistance by the end of the year. According to Trump, the decision stems from Israel’s economic success, stating that the nation no longer requires the funds.
Reaction and Confusion in Israel
Speaking during a meeting in Jerusalem with opposition figure Gadi Eisenkot, Herzog expressed deep apprehension regarding the policy change. El tema de la ayuda estadounidense me preocupa muchísimo, me cayó como un jarro de agua fría
Herzog stated during the gathering.
Herzog emphasized that the countries operate under a Memorandum of Understanding designed to run through 2028, which provides $3.8 billion annually for weapons and ammunition procurement. Despite the stated agreement between the two leaders, officials within Israel’s foreign affairs and finance ministries told Bloomberg that they were entirely unaware of the decision. Meanwhile, Eisenkot criticized authorities for learning about the shift through media reports and accused Netanyahu of endangering the country.
Trump Announces Commercial Weapon Sales During Fox News Interview
The announcement was made during an interview with Fox News on the day of the U.S. midterm elections, as the White House faced mounting political controversy over its foreign assistance amid the military offensive in Gaza. Trump noted that Washington will still allow Israel to purchase whatever weaponry it requires, clarifying that commercial sales will continue.
Congressional Contests Test Republican Majorities During Midterm Elections
The presidential statements coincided with the U.S. midterm elections held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, which were due to determine control of Congress for the final two years of Trump’s current term. Although Trump did not appear on the ballot, the congressional contests served as a test for the Republican Party as it fought to defend its majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Monday, November 2, 2026, showed that Trump’s job approval stood at 32%, unchanged from the previous week and sitting just one point above his 31% low recorded in October. Amid the political fallout, Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator under several U.S. administrations, noted that the question of Israel has turned into a subject that generates enormous polarization inside the Republican Party. Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee pushed back against social media assertions from Vice President JD Vance that the assistance to Israel contributed to Republican losses in Congress, telling the public that Americans must recognize the value of the relationship and stating, no se trata de lo que los estadounidenses aportan, sino de lo que obtienen a cambio
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