Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he is seeking to strengthen ties with countries such as India, while emphasising the need to capitalise on the time remaining in US President Donald Trump’s term.
Just ahead of the crucial mid-term elections in the US and general elections in Israel, PM Netanyahu reportedly warned that a future US president could be "hostile" towards Israel.
The Israeli PM raised concerns about how the next Israeli prime minister would manage relations with a potentially "hostile" US administration.
“There is a window of another two years with President Trump, and one of the questions in these elections is who will work with Trump? Who will complete the remaining work?” Netanyahu was quoted by the Jerusalem Post as saying.
Netanyahu eyes India ties
Netanyahu stressed that Israel must use the remaining years of Trump's presidency to strengthen its position while preparing for a potentially dramatic shift in American policy.
“We need to do the best we can during these two years – and in the two years afterward – to act when things are good and even if things are bad,” he said.
Netanyahu said he was preparing for that possibility by strengthening Israel’s alliances with countries across the Middle East and beyond.
"First, we must do everything we can during these two years, and during the following two years, in the American arena, through good times and bad," he said.
"The second thing is to create other alliances. That is what I am working on now with many countries in our region and outside it. India is not a small country, and there are many others," the Israeli Prime Minister emphasised, as per PTI.
He pointed to political developments in Latin America as another opportunity to expand Israel's network of allies.
"There is a major shift in Latin America, and there could be an enormous change in Brazil in just a few days," Netanyahu pointed out, adding, "We must expand our pool of alliances and develop capabilities that make us valuable to everyone."
Netanyahu made the remarks on Sunday during an event at which he presented his security doctrine, nine days before Israel's October 27 election.
The remarks came hours before a strong endorsement he received from US President Donald Trump, who publicly expressed his support for Netanyahu's re-election bid days before the country goes to the polls.
Netanyahu has often evoked India and his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to argue that Israel is not isolated globally and to demonstrate his government's diplomatic successes.
Countering issues of delegitimisation and alliances amid a prolonged war, Netanyahu, in May this year, in a much publicised statement, said that his country enjoys a "unique relationship" with "huge power" India where there is "crazy love" for Israel.
What do analysts say
According to PTI, many analysts in Israel feel that the growing apathy among Democrats in the US results from poor choices Netanyahu made over the years.
His relations with Democratic Party-led Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden were often tense, which he presented to his supporters as the courage of a strong leader willing to stand up against American Presidents to safeguard Israel's interests, the analysts were quoted as saying.
This has been a cornerstone of Netanyahu's election campaigns and a recipe for electoral success, they said.
He is Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister.
Gadi Eisenkot, the main challenger to the Israeli Prime Minister in the upcoming polls, sharply criticised the presentation, describing it as an empty political exercise rather than a serious national security strategy.
"Nine days before the election and three years after the gravest failure and disaster in Israel's history, with every war front still open, Netanyahu decided to present his 'security doctrine' to the public," Eisenkot said.
"Two hollow pages, full of slogans that have nothing whatsoever to do with a security doctrine, reveal more than anything the strategic vacuum Netanyahu has left the State of Israel in and his disregard for the security of Israeli citizens," he asserted.
Eisenkot, a former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces, accused Netanyahu of attempting to manipulate public opinion and spread fear ahead of the election.
"This is Netanyahu's method: manipulating perceptions, frightening people and trying to divert attention from the parade of lies and racism surrounding his campaign tonight," he said.