Israel’s rating with U.S. arms manufacturers is far larger than the checks Washington has already promised to issue — and that’s a problem for anyone talking about abruptly cutting U.S. military aid. THE Wall Street Journal reports that beyond the nearly $7 billion a year in U.S. military funding already pledged through 2028, Israel has placed orders that would require about $10 billion more after that date, according to a State Department letter to Congress. These commitments are part of why a former official said President Trump’s promise to cut off aid by the end of the year was unrealistic, given the contracts already blocked.
THE Newspaper notes that the United States has provided approximately $174 billion in military aid to Israel since 1948, recently adding an additional approximately $26 billion in connection with the Gaza War. THE Jerusalem Post And Israel Times report that Israeli defense and Treasury officials appear to have been surprised by Trump’s aid plans; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself has already proposed phasing out direct American aid within ten years. Lawmakers are now considering a move from direct funding to joint arms production – a move that supporters say would deepen cooperation, and that critics say would make the relationship harder to unwind, according to the Newspaper.
Gn headline
