Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be replaced after US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would end financial aid to Israel after the end of the year.
“The fact that Israel’s senior military leadership learned from the media about a change in our strategic relations, at the same time as the Israeli public, shows how dangerous Benjamin Netanyahu’s governance is. He can no longer be trusted and must be replaced,” said Eisenkot, who heads the opposition Yashar party.
His reaction followed an interview Trump gave to Fox News, in which the US president said that the United States provides Israel with around $4 billion a year, but that the payments would be terminated at the beginning of next year.
The US president presented the decision as having been agreed with Netanyahu. According to him, Israel has become a “very successful country” and no longer needs the financial support. Trump clarified, however, that Washington would help Israel if the need arose.
“Of course, we will help Israel if it needs it,” the president said.
Dispute over how the decision was made
In his statement, Eisenkot focused not only on the amount of US aid but also on the way the change had been communicated. According to him, the fact that senior Israeli military officials learned about the decision at the same time as the public indicates a problem in the management of strategic relations with the United States.
The opposition leader directly linked the announced suspension of funding to Netanyahu’s political responsibility. He provided no further details about the alleged agreement between the two leaders, but commented on what Trump had stated publicly.
Reuters reported that the decision to end the annual payments would take effect after the end of 2026. Trump’s statement did not make clear exactly how the change would be implemented, nor whether it would be replaced by another specific financial mechanism. It was confirmed that the United States intends to retain the option of providing support if necessary.
Sources: bta.bg, apnews.com, investing.com