U.S. President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the Oct. 27 election has drawn criticism from Israel’s opposition, which insists that the country’s next leader must be chosen by Israeli voters. Netanyahu, meanwhile, welcomed the backing just days before the polls open.
Trump praised Netanyahu in a post on Truth Social on Sunday, describing him as a “great wartime prime minister” and a partner in peace. He also commended Netanyahu for joining the United States in launching attacks on Iran in February aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon.
“Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel,” Trump wrote.
Trump’s explicit endorsement, issued just days before the Knesset election, has given Netanyahu an additional political asset and left his opponents facing the challenge of responding to the American president’s intervention while preserving their relationships with Washington.
In an English-language video message, Netanyahu thanked Trump, calling him Israel’s best friend in the White House and reaffirming their shared commitment to preventing Iran’s regime from acquiring nuclear weapons. He also appealed directly to the American public, arguing that removing the Iranian threat serves U.S. interests, including lower fuel prices.
In response to Trump’s announcement, Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s principal challenger, sought to strike a balance between expressing “great appreciation for the U.S. president” and rejecting what he described as “intervention” in the choice of Israel’s leadership.
In a television interview with Channel 12, Eisenkot, the leader of the Yashar party and a former Israeli military chief of staff, stressed that the election was an internal Israeli matter and that only Israeli citizens could decide who would serve as the next prime minister and which parties would make up the governing coalition.
Eisenkot disclosed that he had held meetings in which he asked others not to interfere in the election, but he did not provide details or identify all those involved.
He expressed confidence that the opposition could replace Netanyahu’s government despite Trump’s endorsement, shifting the focus back to the prime minister’s own record and political responsibility rather than entering into a direct confrontation with the American president.
Opinion polls suggest that Netanyahu’s right-wing religious coalition could lose its parliamentary majority, but the opposition could struggle to form a government. Such an impasse could leave Netanyahu as the head of a caretaker government until another election is held.
Israeli political analyst Eli Nissan said Trump’s endorsement of Netanyahu stemmed from his preference for dealing with a prime minister he knew well, particularly on Iran.
Trump, Nissan said, views Netanyahu as a potential partner in confronting regional challenges and is more familiar with his positions and decision-making style than with those of other Israeli candidates.
“Trump also knows Netanyahu’s weaknesses and can exert pressure on him,” Nissan told MBN, adding that the prospects for reaching an understanding with an alternative Israeli leader remain less clear to the American president.
That does not mean the two men have no disagreements, Nissan said. Rather, Trump’s familiarity with Netanyahu may make the Israeli leader a partner whose reactions can be anticipated and whose choices can be influenced.
Nissan also placed the expansion of the Abraham Accords among Trump’s priorities, arguing that the American president sees Netanyahu’s continued leadership as an opportunity to advance his regional initiatives. From that perspective, Nissan said, the endorsement was “a decision tied to the American president’s interests and objectives, as well as his personal relationship with Netanyahu.”
Trump told Channel 12 that he had planned to endorse Netanyahu earlier but decided to delay the announcement. He cited their good relationship and his desire to continue working together, while leaving open the possibility of cooperating with another prime minister.
Trump and Netanyahu have enjoyed a close relationship, although it has also been marked by disagreements.
Trump’s endorsement came after a period in which he had refrained from backing any candidate. According to Channel 12, the American president had criticized Netanyahu in private conversations, while some of his advisers believed that a different Israeli government might better serve U.S. interests.
The question of Iran also figured in the background to Trump’s decision. Channel 12 reported that Trump and Netanyahu had discussed the possibility of launching another military operation against Iran before the election, but that the American president chose to wait until afterward.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan quoted a source working with a leader in the opposition camp as saying that Trump’s endorsement amounted to “compensation” for Netanyahu after the American president declined to launch an attack on Iran for the time being.
According to Kan, Trump’s unequivocal backing caught the opposition off guard, prompting discussions about two possible responses: ignoring the endorsement to preserve relations with the U.S. administration, or publicly questioning whether Netanyahu had promised concessions in return, including progress on Trump’s plan for Gaza.
The broadcaster also reported that opposition parties had contacted people close to Trump, including Miriam Adelson, the Israeli-American billionaire who supports him, in an effort to prevent the endorsement. Netanyahu’s associates, meanwhile, had pushed for the president to issue it.
The broadcaster noted that a meeting between U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee and Eisenkot on Thursday had attracted attention. According to its sources, the meeting was followed by renewed pressure from Netanyahu’s circle for Trump to make his position explicit.
The election will be Israel’s first since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States. The assault shook Israel and triggered widespread upheaval across the Middle East, as Israel went to war in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
Nissan ruled out the possibility that an Eisenkot victory, or the election of another candidate, would bring U.S.-Israeli cooperation to a halt. “The alliance is not just between two individuals, but between two countries and two peoples,” he said, even if the personal relationship between Trump and Netanyahu influences the handling of certain issues.
A new Israeli leadership, he added, might seek to improve relations with the Democratic Party while maintaining cooperation with the Republican administration, broadening the base of support for Israel in the United States.
Nissan said the electoral impact of Trump’s endorsement remained uncertain. Many Israelis value the American president’s support, he said, but they also make their decisions based on security concerns, personal interests and the country’s future.
Ultimately, the political benefit Netanyahu gains from Trump’s endorsement will depend on his ability to translate it into votes, particularly among undecided voters who have yet to make up their minds.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
