Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), among the most pro-Israel lawmakers in Congress, turned heads Saturday after announcing that he was drafting a proposal to terminate U.S. military aid to Israel, an announcement that sparked an online frenzy of speculation.
“The aid we have provided to Israel has been a great investment keeping the [Israel Defense Forces] strong, sharing technology, and making their military more capable – to the benefit of the United States. Apparently there is a desire by Israel to change that dynamic because they have a roaring economy,” Graham wrote Friday in a social media post on X.
“I will always appreciate allies who are trying to be more self-sufficient and believe that, given what the Prime Minister said, we need not wait ten years. The billions in taxpayer dollars that would be saved by expediting the termination of military aid to Israel will and should be plowed back into the U.S. military, which is the best in the world and in great demand.”
Graham went on to reveal that, as the chair of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, he intends on presenting a proposal to both Israel and the Trump administration to “dramatically” expedite the termination of U.S. aid to Israel.
“It goes without saying that something is amiss here,” wrote pro-Trump right-wing influencer Mike Cernovich in a social media post on X.
Israel is the single-largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid in history, having received more than $300 billion since its founding in 1948. The United States increased its aid to Israel in the wake of the attack from Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, with the United States spending a record $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel in fiscal year 2024.
Given Graham’s support for Israel goes back decades, the sudden turnaround left onlookers baffled, and questioning his motivations.
“Pro-Israel stalwart Sen. Lindsey Graham just said that he’s introducing a proposal to ‘expedite’ ending US government handouts of weapons to Israel,” wrote Josh Ruebner, policy director for IMEU Policy Project, and adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University, in a social media post on X. “What? It’s not April Fools Day is it?”
And Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, noted the unprecedented “tectonic shift” that Graham just unleashed with his statement.
“I don’t think most appreciate the tectonic shift that occurred today with the announcement by pro-Israel Senator Lindsey Graham, following Netanyahu’s own declarations, about the intention to wind down US $ aid to Israel within the next 10 years,” Alkhatib wrote in a social media post on X.
“This shift will pose all sorts of questions and changes when it comes to the US-Israel relation, US leverage, the anti-Israel camp, pro-Israel lobbying, and a whole host of international and geopolitical issues.”
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