President Donald Trump on Sunday endorsed embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late in his reelection campaign, a coveted boost because of Trump’s popularity but one that the American had withheld for months as the vote neared and the leaders' strategies in the Middle East diverged.
Trump said in a post on social media that Netanyahu “has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combating the Islamic Republic of Iran”.
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Israelis are set to vote October 27, in the first national elections since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
The absence of an endorsement was a setback for the Likud politician, who had billed his tight ties to the Republican president as a selling point for staying in power.
“Thank you, President Trump, for the tremendous support and work together,” Netanyahu said in a statement in Hebrew posted on X. “Together we will complete the mission!”
His Likud Party attached to the statement a 35-second video showing clips of the two leaders together and Trump praising Netanyahu.
It was not immediately clear what impact the endorsement would have on what is expected to be a tight race. Trump is still popular in Israel, but many Israelis, including leading commentators, have expressed disappointment over the inconclusive outcome of the Iran war and Trump’s ceasefire proposal, which fell short of many of the countries’ key goals when they jointly launched the war in February.
In his post, Trump again threatened to “soon finish the job” against Iran “unless they change their ways, rapidly”, but added he might not want to if Netanyahu loses the election. “If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so,” Trump said.
He said Netanyahu had been “Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself.”
The main election rival to Netanyahu responded to Trump's endorsement of the incumbent premier, saying "only Israelis can choose their leader".
Speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv ahead of upcoming elections, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot said he "admires" Trump, but "Israel is a democratic country: only Israelis can choose their leader".
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Trump endorsed Netanyahu in past elections and in November he sent a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog asking him to pardon Netanyahu on corruption charges.
But Trump's comments about Netanyahu in recent months had been much more subdued, and he repeatedly demurred when asked if he would back the prime minister. The president, when asked in a Time magazine interview published this month about backing the Israeli leader, said, ”I’m not involved in politics anymore,” despite his campaigning for and endorsing US politicians.
Trump, especially in his second term, has sought to give his stamp of approval to candidates in foreign elections and claimed credit when they have been successful. He endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his unsuccessful bid for a fifth term, as well as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Polish President Karol Nawrocki, and several Latin American leaders.
Trump and Netanyahu have been close allies and seemed more aligned than ever in the wake of the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in 2025. But over the course of the nearly eight-month war with Iran this year, they have had disagreements.
Trump criticised Israel’s decision to attack a key Iranian gas field in the first weeks of the war. In June, he called Netanyahu “crazy." Trump also said that he was “a little bit perturbed” as Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon was holding back peace talks with Iran.
Beyond Iran, Netanyahu in August rejected Trump’s latest plan to advance a stalled ceasefire in Gaza, pushing back on the US administration’s call for Israel to withdraw from territory it controls in Gaza until Hamas has been disarmed.
(FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP)