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United States President Donald Trump has endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s parliamentary election scheduled for October 27.
Netanyahu highlighted his relationship with Trump in a video released by his Likud party, claiming that the two leaders had “crushed Iran”.
He also said re-election would give him the opportunity to work with the US president to “eliminate the Iranian threat over the next two years, or even sooner”.
Trump’s endorsement comes less than two weeks before the election, which is the first in Israel since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
Netanyahu has faced criticism from opposition politicians over his government’s handling of security warnings before the attack. They have accused him of bearing personal responsibility for the failure to prevent the assault.
The election is expected to focus on security, the government’s handling of the Hamas attack and Netanyahu’s leadership.
Netanyahu, who is facing a tight electoral contest according to opinion polls, has worked closely with Trump on Israel’s wars across multiple fronts since the Hamas-led attack, including military strikes against Iran. The US president’s backing could provide a significant boost to the Israeli prime minister’s re-election campaign.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump praised Netanyahu’s leadership despite opposition to him within Israel and elsewhere.
“Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself,” Trump wrote, using a popular nickname for the Israeli leader.
He added, “This is the kind of Partner that the United States of America is demanding of Israel, a Country for which it has done so much.
“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.”
The election is widely viewed as a referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership. The Israeli prime minister responded to Trump’s endorsement on Sunday, expressing appreciation for the US president’s support and their joint efforts.
“Thank you, President Trump, for your tremendous support and for our work together. Together we will complete the mission!” Netanyahu wrote on X.
Addressing voters, he urged them to pay attention to Trump’s remarks, arguing that their cooperation had produced significant results but that further work remained.
“I ask you to listen carefully to what President Trump said this evening,” Netanyahu said. “He said that together we have accomplished extraordinary things… But there is still a mission to complete.”
Trump joined Israel in an attack on Iran in late February, but agreed to a ceasefire in April amid widespread opposition to the war among the American public. The conflict had also contributed to a sharp rise in global oil prices.
Speaking at an event in August, Netanyahu described Trump as “our greatest friend, one of the greatest friends we have had in the White House”.
However, the relationship between the two leaders has experienced tensions over Iran. While Netanyahu has argued that a diplomatic agreement with Iran’s leadership was not possible, Trump had pursued a negotiated settlement to end the months-long conflict.
