Netanyahu's office frames Trump's Israel aid cutoff as a shift from aid to partnership

Israel's Prime Minister's Office issued its first formal response Friday to President Donald Trump's Election Day announcement that the United States will stop roughly $4 billion a year in military aid to Israel by year-end.

U.S. military aid to Israel has always rested on bipartisan agreement. Israel used it both to defend itself and to confront enemies that threaten America and the West, the PMO said. Today, Israel has a strong and stable economy. The shift Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump are making from aid to partnership shows the strength and sophistication of our relationship, and its ability to adapt and hold firm over time.

Trump had said on Fox News that Netanyahu proposed the idea and that Israel no longer needs the money; arms sales would continue. The existing 2016 memorandum pledged about $3.8 billion a year through 2028, so ending aid early would still need Congress.