Israel’s tab with American arms makers is much bigger than the checks Washington has already promised to write—and that’s a problem for anyone talking about abruptly cutting US military aid. The Wall Street Journal reports that beyond the almost $7 billion a year in US military financing already pledged through 2028, Israel has placed orders that would require roughly another $10 billion after that date, according to a State Department letter to Congress. Those commitments help explain why one former official says President Trump’s vow to halt aid by the end of the year isn’t realistic, given contracts already locked in.
The Journal notes that the US has supplied about $174 billion in military aid to Israel since 1948, recently tacking on about $26 billion more amid the Gaza war. The Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel report that Israeli defense and treasury officials appeared to have been taken aback by Trump’s aid plans; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself has previously proposed phasing out direct aid from the US within 10 years or so. Lawmakers are now weighing a shift from direct financing to joint weapons production—a move that supporters say would deepen cooperation, and that critics warn would make the relationship harder to unwind, per the Journal.