U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 parliamentary election, linking his support to the country’s campaign against Iran.
Trump posted his endorsement on Truth Social on Oct. 18, praising Netanyahu’s role in confronting Iran. He said that if voters chose another leader, the United States would be left to take on Iran-related work itself, adding that he was not inclined to do so. The post did not define what that work would entail. The endorsement echoes EconoTimes’ earlier report on Trump’s warning about acting alone against Iran.
Channel 12’s Oct. 19 poll, reported by The Times of Israel, assigned 55 seats to the anti-Netanyahu bloc and 51 to Netanyahu-aligned parties. The report placed the remaining 14 seats with two Arab parties, leaving neither main bloc projected to reach the 61 seats needed for a majority on its own. The survey of 507 respondents reported a 4.4% margin of error. The Times of Israel said some responses may have been collected before Benny Gantz announced Blue and White’s exit from the race.
The poll also asked respondents whom they preferred as prime minister: 45% named Gadi Eisenkot, whom the report described as the opposition front-runner, and 33% chose Netanyahu. The result is a preference measure, not a direct election for prime minister; Israeli voters elect the Knesset.
The Associated Press reported that Trump had held off on an explicit endorsement for months as the leaders differed over Iran and Gaza. Trump criticized Israel’s strike on a major Iranian gas field, while Netanyahu rejected a U.S. Gaza proposal in August that called for Israeli forces to withdraw before Hamas was disarmed, AP reported. AP said Trump’s standing in Israel could make his backing politically valuable to Netanyahu, who has presented his ties to Trump as a reason for voters to keep him in office. Trump has endorsed Netanyahu in previous Israeli elections, the AP reported.
Israel’s Central Elections Committee lists Oct. 27 as the election date for the 26th Knesset.
