On November 3, 2026, Election Day in the US, President Trump announced that America would end its military aid to Israel, about $4 billion a year, by the end of this year. “They don’t need it,” he said. “They can buy whatever they want.”
Some people here in Israel are worried. I’m not. I believe that the end of US aid to Israel is good news, both for Israel’s security and for a deeper, spiritual reason.
What Trump Said About Ending US Aid to Israel
President Trump made the announcement in a phone interview with Fox News on Election Day. He said Prime Minister Netanyahu had raised the idea himself, and that Israel could still buy whatever it needed.
The timing wasn’t a coincidence. For years, anti-Zionist politicians have used the aid to Israel as a stick to attack President Trump and the Republicans. With this announcement, he took that argument away from them, on Election Day itself.
Netanyahu has spoken many times about Israel weaning itself off American aid, although he described it as a gradual process over about a decade. How and when this announcement will be carried out is still unclear.
How Much Military Aid Does the US Give Israel Each Year?
The current agreement, a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2016, covers the years 2019 to 2028. It provides $38 billion in total: $3.3 billion a year in military financing plus $500 million a year for missile defense. That is about $3.8 billion a year.
Under the agreement, almost all of that money must be spent on weapons and equipment made in the United States.
Golden Handcuffs
In recent years, I’ve come to see the American aid as golden handcuffs.
Yes, we received a lot of money. But we had to spend almost all of it in the US. In practice, the aid created jobs and kept factories busy in America. And it gave Washington the ability to turn the supply on and off at will. We saw exactly that when the Biden administration held back weapons and equipment in the middle of the war.
Now, instead, Israel will invest those billions here: building factories, creating jobs in Israel, and guaranteeing our own supply of weapons and equipment, so that no one can hold it back from us at a critical moment.
And there’s more. We’ll be able to develop weapons that only we have. Everyone knows the next generation of weapons and warfare will be built on systems powered by artificial intelligence, and in that field Israel is among the world’s leaders.
A Nation That Dwells Alone
But for me, the most important reason is spiritual.
When Bilaam stood on the mountain to curse the Nation of Israel, the Almighty put a blessing in his mouth instead:
“Behold, it is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.” (Numbers 23:9)
Why is dwelling alone a blessing?
One reason is this: when the world sees that we depend on another nation for our survival, it hides the truth that we depend only and entirely on the will of the Almighty. It looks as if America is protecting Israel, and not God.
The Jewish people have survived for thousands of years without a superpower holding our hand. Not because of how strong we were, but because the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalms 121:4). Perhaps the time has come for the whole world to see that again. (I wrote about this in The 3-Day War: Investigate the Miracles.)
How You Can Stand With Israel Now
To our many friends who have stood by Israel all these years: thank you. Your support has always meant a great deal to us.
And now, instead of focusing your support on military aid, you can stand with Israel in a very direct way: by supporting small Israeli businesses like ours. Every tin of olive oil and every jar of honey you order goes straight to farmers, beekeepers and workers here in the Land of Israel.
Questions About the End of US Aid to Israel
How much annual US military aid does Israel receive?
Under the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding, about $3.8 billion a year: $3.3 billion in military financing and $500 million for missile defense, from 2019 through 2028.
When does the current US aid agreement with Israel end?
The current agreement runs through 2028. Ending the aid earlier, as President Trump announced, would require decisions by the President and Congress.
Can Israel still buy American weapons without the aid?
Yes. President Trump said Israel “can buy whatever they want.” The difference is that Israel will pay from its own budget, and it will be free to spend more of that money in Israel.
Does Netanyahu want to end US aid to Israel?
Netanyahu has said several times that Israel should wean itself off American military aid, gradually, over about ten years.
What does “a nation that dwells alone” mean?
The words come from Bilaam’s blessing in Numbers 23:9. The Jewish people are meant to stand on their own, dependent on the Almighty rather than on the protection of other nations.
May we soon see the day when Israel dwells securely in its land, and the whole world recognizes Who truly protects it.
With blessings from Jerusalem,
R. Shmuel Veffer
Galilee Green
Want updates like this every week? Join our weekly newsletter for news, Torah insights and recipes from the Land of Israel.
0 Comments