WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. military assistance to Israel would be discontinued at the end of this year, arguing that Israel no longer needs the aid and is capable of purchasing its own weapons.
"We were giving them 4 billion (U.S.) dollars -- we are -- but it gets cut off at the end of the year," Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
Trump said the assistance had included both military equipment and financial support, describing it variously as military aid, cash or "barter."
He added that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had discussed ending the assistance for years, saying the idea had been raised by Netanyahu himself.
"They don't need it," Trump said. "Israel's our number one. We give them more than anybody else, and they no longer need it."
Trump further clarified that the 4 billion dollars referred to military equipment or cash, reiterating that the assistance could be defined in different ways.
"I'm going to put it in any way you want to define it," he said.
There has been no confirmation from the Israeli side of Trump's announcement.
During an interview with CBS News in May, Netanyahu said he wanted to reduce U.S. financial support for Israel to zero, starting immediately and completing the process over the following 10 years. ■
