President Donald Trump presented a proposed cutoff of U.S. military aid to Israel as a way to blunt Democratic criticism of Republicans, singling out Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in an Election Day interview. Trump said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to end the payments after 2026 while continuing U.S. arms sales, but gave no implementation details [dailymaverick.co.za][cbs58.com][theguardian.com]. A June Quinnipiac poll found that 48% of voters and 66% of Democrats said the United States was too supportive of Israel, compared with 16% and 20%, respectively, when the question was first asked in 2017 [japantoday.com][alarabiya.net]. A separate August Fox News poll found that 55% of Michigan voters opposed continued military assistance, including 70% of Democrats and 66% of independents [theintercept.com]. The U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding provides for $3.8 billion annually through September 2028. Congress must approve funding each year, and how the proposed year-end cutoff would take effect remains unclear [dailymaverick.co.za][ft.com]. The House also passed a provision in the 2027 defense bill in July to expand U.S.-Israeli defense technology cooperation [japantoday.com][theintercept.com]. Highlights: • Netanyahu’s stated position: He has previously called for gradually reducing U.S. financial support to zero over a decade [vox.com][cbs58.com]. • Pro-Israel lobby AIPAC: The group backed ongoing discussions on a new U.S.-Israel military aid agreement [thenationalnews.com]. • Michigan polling: 35% of Republicans opposed continued aid, compared with 70% of Democrats and 66% of independents [theintercept.com]. • Republican criticism: Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Trump’s announcement showed how unfavorable the polling was but would not change the election results [thehill.com]. • Public opinion: A Chicago Council on Global Affairs poll found that 68% of Republicans favored continuing or increasing military aid [ft.com]. Perspectives: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister: He has previously called for gradually reducing U.S. financial support to zero over a decade, a slower timetable than Trump’s proposed cutoff [vox.com][cbs58.com]. (CBS58, republished by CNN) Brett McGurk, former senior U.S. national security official: He said the debate should account for the aid’s domestic economic impact, noting that nearly all of it is spent on U.S. industry and that the annual amount is less than one-tenth of 1% of federal spending [algemeiner.com][forward.com]. (The Forward) Rep. Ro Khanna: The California Democrat said “Zero aid Israel” would be part of his party’s agenda if Democrats win control of Congress [dailymaverick.co.za]. (Reuters, republished by Daily Maverick) Rep. Don Bacon: The Nebraska Republican said his main concern was that Israeli officials had not known about the proposed change [dailymaverick.co.za]. (Reuters, republished by Daily Maverick) "The curious issue is timing. Why did President Trump announce it on Election Day? And why did he announce it amidst speculation that a major joint U.S.-Israeli military strike against Iran may be days away?" — Jon Alterman, Center for Strategic and International Studies analyst Sources: • Trump just said he was ending aid to Israel. He might actually mean it. - vox.com • Trump Says U.S. Will End $4 Billion in Direct Military Aid to Israel in Favor of a New Agreement - pjmedia.com • Trump Says U.S. to End $4 Billion in Aid to Israel at End of Year - nytimes.com • Trump says US military aid to Israel will be 'cut off at the end of the year' - lemonde.fr • Trump announces end of $3.8 billion annual security assistance to Israel - lemonde.fr • Trump Scrambles to Halt Military Aid to Israel to Deprive El-Sayed of a Talking Point - theintercept.com • White House tries to clean up Trump’s bombshell foreign policy announcement - alternet.org • Trump axes US$3.8b annual military aid for Israel: ‘they no longer need it’ - scmp.com • Cutting Off Israel Won’t Appease the ‘Anti-Zionist’ Left - nationalreview.com • Greene: Trump’s Israel aid announcement shows ‘how bad the polling is’ - thehill.com • Trump says US will end military aid to Israel by end of the year - ft.com • Trump claims he will end military aid to Israel, but figures tell a different story - thenationalnews.com • As Americans vote, Trump says US will stop $4 billion in aid to Israel - reddit.com • Trump vows to end annual military aid to Israel: Report - mehrnews.com • Trump explains why US stopping $4 billion military aid to Israel - thenews.com.pk • Trump says US will stop giving aid to Israel after 2026 - mothership.sg • Trump Says US Will Stop Giving $4B in Military Aid to Israel by Year’s End - algemeiner.com • Trump says US will stop $4 billion military aid to Israel at end of 2026 - alarabiya.net • Trump says U.S. will stop $4 billion in aid to Israel - japantoday.com • Trump claims US will end military aid to Israel by end of this year - theguardian.com • As Americans vote, Trump says US will stop $4bn in aid to Israel - dailymaverick.co.za • US to halt $4 billion in annual aid to Israel, but continue arms sales, Trump says - firstpost.com • Donald Trump says US will end $4bn in annual military aid to Israel - thenationalnews.com • Trump says US will stop funding Israel after year-end - perthnow.com.au • Donald Trump says US will end $4bn annual aid to Israel by end of year - thenational.scot • Trump says US will halt $4 billion in aid to Israel at the end of the year - france24.com • Trump says US will cut off $4B in aid to Israel, blames bad 'talking point' - wgntv.com • Trump says US is cutting off aid to Israel at year’s end because ‘they don’t need it’ - cbs58.com • Trump Says He’ll End $4 Billion in Aid to Israel - nytimes.com • Trump says US aid to Israel will stop at end of year - forward.com --- 📰 Story aggregated by Kagi News