Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said on Friday that he would end U.S. funding to Israel if elected because the Jewish state should not be given special treatment compared to other countries in the Middle East.
An interview published on the conservative social network Rumble had the lawmaker saying, “there’s no North Star commitment to any one country, other than the United States of America.”
Since the current U.S. aid package of $38 billion expires in 2028, he predicted that “come 2028, that additional aid will not be necessary in order to still have the kind of stability that we’d actually have in the Middle East by having Israel more integrated in with its partners.”
Ramaswamy’s comments have been met with mixed reactions. Some supporters have praised him for his willingness to take on the powerful pro-Israel lobby, while others have accused him of being anti-Semitic.
Ramaswamy’s campaign has denied that he is anti-Semitic, and has said that his goal is to promote a more equitable foreign policy that does not favor any one country.
“We should be supporting Israel, but we should also be supporting our allies in the Middle East,” Ramaswamy said. “We should not be picking favorites
Adding that he will continue previous president Donald Trump’s efforts to extend the Abraham Accords with Israel and Arab countries, Ramaswamy, who is currently trailing Florida governor Ron DeSantis in national surveys, has gained significant ground in recent weeks.
I want to take the Abraham Accords much further than Trump has. “It would be good for everyone,” he continued, “if I could get Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Indonesia to join the Abraham Accords 2.0.”
It is unclear whether Ramaswamy’s pledge would be implemented if he were elected president. The U.S. Congress would need to approve any changes to U.S. foreign aid, and it is possible that Congress would refuse to end funding to Israel.
Even if Congress did approve ending U.S. funding to Israel, it is unclear what the impact would be. Israel is a wealthy country with a strong economy, and it is likely that it would be able to find other sources of funding.
However, ending U.S. funding to Israel would be a significant symbolic gesture, and it would send a message that the United States is no longer willing to unconditionally support Israel.
It is also possible that ending U.S. funding to Israel would harm the peace process in the Middle East. Israel has long argued that it needs U.S. military aid to defend itself against its enemies, and ending that aid could make it more difficult for Israel to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
Only time will tell what the impact of Ramaswamy’s pledge would be. However, it is clear that his comments have sparked a debate about the future of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.