Trump says U.S. aid to Israel will end this year under a deal with Netanyahu; Israeli finance officials say they knew of no such plan

Timeline

5 timeline entries on this page. Dates: November 3, 2026 to November 6, 2026

1. November 2026

   1. November 32026November 3, 2026

      Trump tells Fox & Friends that U.S. aid to Israel will be cut off at the end of the year

      Claim

      On Election Day, Trump says he and Netanyahu agreed months ago to stop the $4 billion a year the United States gives Israel, that Netanyahu brought it up, and that the payments end at the end of 2026 because Israel no longer needs them.

      [01]Roll Call

      Roll Call Factbase transcript of Trump's Election Day telephone interview on Fox News's Fox & Friends. Trump says he and Netanyahu agreed months ago to stop the $4 billion a year the United States gives Israel, that the payments stop at the end of the year, and that Netanyahu brought the idea up. When Brian Kilmeade asks him to clarify, he says Israel no longer needs the money and names Abdul El-Sayed.

      Transcript: Donald Trump calls in to Fox & Friends, November 3, 2026 · Roll Call00:06:58 to 00:07:43 and 00:18:52 to 00:21:40, remarks on aid to Israel

      [02]ABC News

      ABC News reports Trump's Fox & Friends remarks, says two Israeli Finance Ministry sources expressed surprise at them, and explains that the current memorandum of understanding provides $3.8 billion a year through fiscal year 2028. It quotes a statement from opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot and reports that Netanyahu had not yet commented.

      Trump says $4 billion in Israel military aid will end this year, citing political reasons · ABC NewsFull article
   2. November 32026November 3, 2026

      Israeli finance officials express surprise as opposition leaders blame Netanyahu

      Reaction

      Two Finance Ministry sources tell ABC News they were surprised and point to the agreement that runs to 2028. Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Golan say Netanyahu's handling of the change endangers Israel.

      [02]ABC News

      ABC News reports Trump's Fox & Friends remarks, says two Israeli Finance Ministry sources expressed surprise at them, and explains that the current memorandum of understanding provides $3.8 billion a year through fiscal year 2028. It quotes a statement from opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot and reports that Netanyahu had not yet commented.

      Trump says $4 billion in Israel military aid will end this year, citing political reasons · ABC NewsFull article

      [03]Yair Golan

      Golan, leader of The Democrats party, writes in Hebrew that Israel's defense spending is at record levels and its air defenses have been worn down by a long war, that ending U.S. aid would do heavy damage to Israel's security and fall on the Israeli public, and that a responsible prime minister would fight to increase the aid.

      Yair Golan's X post on the end of U.S. aid to Israel · Yair GolanFull post, November 3, 2026 (Hebrew)
   3. November 32026November 3, 2026

      The Jerusalem Post reports that Netanyahu's and Trump's staff said Trump misspoke

      The Jerusalem Post reports that officials in Israel's defense establishment and its foreign and finance ministries had no warning, and that Netanyahu's and Trump's staff confirmed Trump misspoke but did not want to correct it on Election Day.

      [04]The Jerusalem Post

      The Jerusalem Post writes that officials in Israel's defense establishment and its foreign and finance ministries were caught off guard by the announcement and had expected aid to run to the end of 2028. It reports that Netanyahu's and Trump's staff confirmed that Trump misspoke but chose not to correct it on Election Day, and that Netanyahu had not commented at press time.

      What does Trump's earthquake announcement of end of aid to Israel mean? · The Jerusalem PostFull article
   4. November 52026November 5, 2026

      President Herzog says the announcement came like a bolt from the blue

      Reaction

      Herzog says the issue of American aid worries him greatly and that Israel's memorandum of understanding with the United States is supposed to last until 2028.

      [05]Netanyahu responds to Trump decision to end US military aid

      Kurdistan24 reports the November 6 statement by Netanyahu's office and says it did not address Trump's assertion that the two sides agreed to end the aid by the end of the year. It quotes Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who on Thursday described the announcement as coming like a bolt from the blue.

      Netanyahu responds to Trump decision to end US military aidFull article
   5. November 62026November 6, 2026

      Netanyahu's office describes a move from aid to partnership

      Reaction

      In a post on X, Netanyahu's office says the move from aid to partnership shows the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship. It gives no timeline and does not address Trump's account of a deal.

      [06]Prime Minister’s Office of Israel

      Netanyahu's office writes that U.S. military aid to Israel has always had support from both parties, that Israel has used it to defend itself and to confront enemies of America and the West, and that the move from aid to partnership shows the strength of the relationship. The post includes a Fox News interview clip with Netanyahu's spokesman, Doron Spielman.

      Prime Minister's Office of Israel X post on U.S. military aid · Prime Minister’s Office of IsraelFull post, November 6, 2026

      [07]Netanyahu responds to Trump aid cut three days late, English only

      JFeed reports that the Prime Minister's Office issued its statement three days after Trump's interview and in English only, that it gave no timeline and did not dispute Trump's claim that the aid would end by the close of the year, and that Finance Ministry officials said they knew of no plan to cancel security aid immediately.

      Netanyahu responds to Trump aid cut three days late, English onlyFull article