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President Trump’s advisers reportedly believe a loss by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tuesday’s election could actually make it easier to advance the president’s Middle East agenda.
Should Netanyahu — who has served as prime minister for roughly 19 years across three stints — be ousted, his potential successors would have strong incentives to maintain close ties with Washington, US officials told Axios.
The assessment comes as Israelis prepare to vote Oct. 27, with polls showing Netanyahu’s coalition struggling to secure the parliamentary majority needed to form a government.
The potential for progress for Trump’s Middle East agenda in a new political environment comes despite the president’s notable decision to endorse the conservative Likud Party leader last Sunday, while Netanyahu trails in the polls against former Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot.
Trump called Netanyahu a “Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran,” in a reference to joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Israel’s battle against Hezbollah and other foes.
Several of Trump’s top advisors have grown “dissatisfied” with Netanyahu over key regional priorities over the last six months, Axios reported.
US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack has expressed doubts about Israel’s military operations in Syria, while Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff have been frustrated by what they see as Netanyahu’s reluctance to advance Trump’s peace plan, according to the report.
“He’s the devil he knows,” one Trump advisor said of Netanyahu, who was also in office during the entirety of Trump’s first term.
After the elections, Trump will face a “defining choice” about whether to join Netanyahu in another military operation against Iran. US intelligence is warning Iran is increasing its threats against Americans in the region, US warships including two aircraft carrier strike groups in the region are preparing for a potential escalation.
Trump’s decision to join Netanyahu in a joint attack on Iran in February precipitated a spike in oil prices that has Trump facing stiff headwinds in the midterm elections Nov. 3. But he has said repeatedly the attacks set back Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
The endorsement also gives Trump the opportunity to try to take credit if Netanyahu wins. Eisenkot, in an interview with The Post, is stressing deep ties between the US and Israel, and spoke positively about Trump’s efforts in the region.
Vice President JD Vance notably did not endorse Netanyahu in an interview Monday with journalist Mark Halperin. “The president has the most influential endorsement in American or international political history,” said Vance. “I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on the midterms.”
Vance traveled to Budapest to boost Hungarian strongman Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shortly before Orban’s defeat.
Trump later commented on his running mate’s posture. “I don’t know that he did or didn’t, that’s up to him,” Trump said Friday. “I would leave that up to him.”