The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has said this Tuesday that Washington will stop transferring 4 billion dollars (about 3.575 billion euros) in military aid to Israel before the end of the year. As he has underlined, this decision forms part of an understanding reached with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, from which the proposal would have come.
"We were giving them 4 billion (of dollars), but we will cut it at the end of the year, because they don’t need it," he said in an interview granted to the US network Fox News, where he has admitted that this volume of military support for Israel has become one of the main points of criticism toward Washington since the start of the war in the Middle East.
"It’s a misguided argument, because one could ask: why do we give them 4 billion dollars to everyone?" he said. "Israel is our number one priority; we give them more than anyone," he added, insisting that Israel "no longer needs it," describing it, in his words, as "a very prosperous country."
In this vein, he has reiterated that there is "an agreement" with Netanyahu on this matter and has gone as far as pointing out that it was Israel’s head of government himself who put the issue on the table. "It was him who raised it. He said: 'I think it would be appropriate that they not receive aid,'" the US president said.
Trump has highlighted that Netanyahu "understands that this is one of the points of disagreement" and has again emphasized that Israel has been "a great ally, much more reliable than most." For now, Israeli authorities have not reacted publicly to the statements made by the US president.
At present, both countries are linked by a memorandum of understanding that provides for 3.8 billion dollars (close to 3.4 billion euros) annually in military aid to Israel and that will be in effect until 2028. Netanyahu himself already said in May, in an interview with the US network CBS, that he trusted that Israel would stop depending on this economic backing within ten years.
The opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has rejected the announcement through his social media, estimating that ties with the United States "are a fundamental element of Israel’s national security."
In this sense, he has warned that "the fact that the security system, as well as Israeli citizens, finds out, through the media, about a change in the fabric of strategic relations shows how real a danger Benjamín Netanyahu's actions entail".
"You can no longer trust him and he has to be replaced. Once again, the prime minister of Israel is unable to look Israeli citizens in the eyes and tell them the truth," he added, demanding explanations from the head of government. "Netanyahu must give answers, this very night, to the citizens of Israel".