Israel's opposition candidate Gadi Eisenkot has said that US President Donald Trump's announcement of a phaseout of American financial assistance showed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must go.
"The fact that Israel's defence establishment is learning of a shift in our strategic relationship through the media, at the same time as the Israeli public, shows just how dangerous Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct is. He can no longer be trusted and must be replaced," Eisenkot said in a statement on Tuesday.
Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, accused Netanyahu of an "enormous failure" after Trump said Washington would end financial assistance to Israel by the end of the year.
In a post on X, Golan warned that the cutoff would seriously damage Israel's security and quality of life by placing the full burden of financing its military needs on the Israeli public.
"A responsible prime minister would have fought to increase US assistance, not end it," he said, adding that Netanyahu was "deepening the security and economic crisis and endangering Israel's future."
Officials caught off guard
Trump said the US would stop providing financial assistance under an agreement he claimed to have reached with Netanyahu several months ago.
His remarks coincided with voting in the US congressional midterm elections, which cover all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that officials in the defence ministry and military were surprised by the announcement. Private broadcaster Channel 12 said the finance ministry had also not known of Washington's intention until Trump spoke.
According to the channel, the annual $3.8 billion in US aid had been expected to be an important source of funding for Israel's defence budgets in 2027 and 2028.
Under a memorandum of understanding signed in 2016, the US committed to providing $38 billion in military assistance over a decade, through 2028.
Golan said the decision came when Israel's defence spending had reached enormous levels and the country needed to replenish its stockpiles of offensive weapons. "Israel's air defence capabilities have been depleted after such a prolonged war," he said.
Political stakes
Netanyahu has previously advocated reducing Israel's dependence on US military assistance and strengthening the domestic defence industry.
The criticism came a day before Israel's Central Elections Committee is expected to announce the official final election results on Wednesday.
The elections left Netanyahu's bloc with 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while the opposition secured 48 and Arab parties won 19.
The opposition remains short of the 61 seats needed for a majority on its own, making support from Arab lawmakers potentially decisive in efforts to form a government.
