U.S. President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes before an Oct. 27 vote for the 120-seat Knesset, after which a separate process will determine who forms the next government.
Trump declared his support in an Oct. 18 Truth Social post, citing his cooperation with Netanyahu against Iran. He said that if Israel chose another leader, the United States “will have to do this work ourselves.” Trump did not define that work or describe what Washington would do after a different election outcome. The Iran warning was the focus of earlier EconoTimes coverage of the endorsement.
Netanyahu thanked Trump on X and said they would continue working to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
The endorsement followed a Sept. 28 interview in which TIME repeatedly asked Trump about another term for Netanyahu. Trump gave no endorsement then, saying, “I'm not involved in politics anymore.” TIME published the interview Oct. 1.
Israeli voters will select party lists for the Knesset rather than cast a direct vote for prime minister. Once the results are published, the president consults parliamentary groups and, within seven days, assigns a Knesset member to try to form a government. The parliamentary result therefore determines the next step in choosing a government, regardless of which leader Trump supports.
Israel’s Central Elections Committee describes the vote as the country’s first Knesset election since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The committee schedules voting for Oct. 27 and publication of the results for Nov. 4.
