Republican presidential hopeful calls on US to cut aid to Israel August 18, 2023Republican presidential candidate businessman Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at an event in St. Clair Shores, Mich., Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)AP Photo/Paul SancyaRepublican presidential hopeful calls on US to cut aid to IsraelVivek Ramaswamy, currently polling in third place for the Republican presidential nomination, vows to expand Abraham Accords, then cut aid to Israel.By World Israel News StaffVivek Ramaswamy, an Ohio-born businessman and 2024 Republican presidential hopeful who is currently polling in third place behind former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has called for the U.S. to work to expand the Abraham Accords, while also decreasing aid to Israel.Speaking in an interview on Rumble with actor and internet personality Russell Brand, Ramaswamy argued that Israel’s strengthening position in the Middle East is increasingly rendering American foreign aid superfluous, and proposed trimming aid to Israel starting in 2028.Responding to criticism by Brand – a noted critic of the Jewish state – of American aid to Israel, Ramaswamy emphasized his support for the Abraham Accords, vowing to expand the number of Arab and Muslim states with normalized ties to Israel, adding that by 2028, Israel will be “more integrated” into the region, allowing it to stand “on its own two feet” without direct U.S. support.“I want to go even further than Trump on the Abraham Accords. As president, I want to achieve the Abraham Accords 2.0 and bring in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Indonesia. It would be good for everyone.”Read Harris won 79% of the Jewish vote, exit polling shows“Come 2028, that additional aid won’t 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.”“There’s no North Star commitment to any one country, other than the United States of America.”A new Fox News poll shows Ramaswamy rising among the 2024 Republican contenders ahead of next year’s primaries, from just 5% in late June to 11% in mid-August. 2024 Presidential electionUS-Israel relationsvivek ramaswamy