Overview
- President Donald Trump posted a public endorsement for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu on Truth Social on Sunday, urging Israelis to keep him in office just nine days before the Oct. 27 parliamentary election.
- Trump called Netanjahu a “partner for peace” in the fight with Iran and warned that the United States might act alone if Israel chose a different leader.
- Netanjahu thanked Trump publicly and his Likud campaign quickly used the message to portray renewed U.S. support as an electoral asset.
- Former IDF chief and main challenger Gadi Eisenkot condemned the endorsement as unacceptable foreign interference, and diplomats said the late intervention surprised them.
- Analysts say U.S. backing could sway some voters because U.S.-Israel ties matter to many Israelis, but the endorsement follows months of tensions between Trump and Netanjahu and its actual electoral effect remains uncertain.