WASHINGTON — Within hours of the first almost unbelievable images out of Israel, we were already seeing misinformation spread online about what the U.S. was going to do to help.
THE QUESTION:
Did the United States immediately pledge $8 billion in military aid to Israel following the weekend attacks?
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THE SOURCES:
- The White House
- The US Department of State
- The Congressional Research Service
THE ANSWER:
No, the press release announcing this action is a doctored version of an old release.
WHAT WE FOUND:
The claim that the United States swiftly pledged $8 billion in military aid to Israel has been repeated in posts all over X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, including by apparent news sites. It appears at first to be confirmed in this White House press release–but it’s fake.
The announcement is nowhere on the White House or Department of State website—and instead appears to be a doctored version of this White House press release issued over the summer. It announced the authorization of US aid to Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia–$400 million worth, not $8 billion.
The United States does provide billions of dollars of support to Israeli Defense Forces each year–outlined in this Congressional Research Service Report—as part of a series of agreements dating back decades. “Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign assistance since World War II,” according to that same report.
However, The White House is underscoring support for the people of Israel following this weekend’s attacks—while detailing his administration’s communication with Israeli leadership this weekend, President Biden reiterated: “We’ll make sure that they have the help their citizens need.” So we’ll be watching for Verified announcements of American next steps.