US President Donald Trump says he made a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington would no longer be providing funding to Israel after the end of this year. The US State Department did not immediately respond to an Al Jazeera request for comment. Military aid to Israel, and US political campaign contributions from Israel’s backers to candidates, have been a flashpoint for both Democrats and Republicans this year.
Harsh public criticism of Israel by US political leaders in recent years marks a dramatic shift from decades of staunch bipartisan backing. The US House of Representatives defeated an amendment to cut off aid to Israel in July, despite nearly half of Democrats supporting it, reflecting a growing rupture between US progressives and Israel over its genocidal war in Gaza. The House voted 314 to 104 to defeat the measure, offered as an amendment to a State Department spending bill by outgoing Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, an outspoken Republican critic of US policy in the Middle East.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
