US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said there is no clear timeline for ending American aid to Israel, following President Donald Trump’s announcement that $4 billion in assistance would be halted.
Huckabee made the remarks in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 on Thursday, during which he discussed Trump’s decision to suspend military assistance to Israel and the possibility of renewed strikes against Iran.
Asked when the aid would be stopped, Huckabee said: “I don’t think we know the answer to that question yet. We are seeking clarification on the matter.”
The US ambassador defended the continuation of assistance to Israel, saying: “What Americans do not understand, and still struggle to grasp, is that this amount is actually very small compared with the overall US budget.”
He explained that all US military aid to Israel is spent within the United States and used to purchase F-35, F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, Apache helicopters, as well as equipment that helped develop Israel’s Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow 3 missile defense systems.
Huckabee said he did not consider Trump’s announcement to halt the $4 billion in assistance a mistake, adding: “We want to move toward a different model of relations, one in which it no longer appears to be an aid package but instead becomes a commercial partnership.”
Asked whether military strikes against Iran could resume following elections in Israel and the United States, Huckabee said: “Perhaps there are only two people in the entire world who know whether we will resume a military operation against Iran: President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”
Huckabee suggested that a decision on resuming strikes against Iran had probably not yet been made.
On November 3, Trump announced that $4 billion in US assistance to Israel would be halted.
He said an agreement had been reached to end the assistance by the end of the year, adding: “We will no longer give Israel money.”
Earlier, Israel’s public broadcaster reported that Trump’s “surprise” announcement, made on the day of the US congressional midterm elections, had caused astonishment within Israel’s Defense Ministry and the Israeli military leadership.
