Donald Trump Endorses Benjamin Netanyahu Ahead of Israeli Election

President Donald Trump issued a complete and total endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 18, nine days before Israel's national elections on October 27. Trump described Netanyahu as a "Great Warrior Prime Minister" and a "Partner for Peace" in the effort to combat Iran, warning that electing any other leader would be a risk that might force the United States to handle the conflict with Iran alone.

The endorsement followed a period of volatility. Earlier in the day, reports indicated Trump had declined to support Netanyahu due to frustrations over military actions in Lebanon and Gaza. This followed months of tension, including Trump calling Netanyahu "crazy" in June and Netanyahu rejecting a U.S. ceasefire plan for Gaza in August. However, Trump later clarified that he deliberately waited to make his support public to maintain their strategic relationship.

Netanyahu leveraged the endorsement in campaign videos, framing the election as a critical decision on the elimination of the Iranian nuclear threat. He vowed to use a two-year window of U.S. support to neutralize Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by accusing Netanyahu of dragging the U.S. into war to avoid jail time in Israel and warned Washington against further military confrontation.

While the endorsement provides a strategic boost, Netanyahu faces a tight race. His main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, rejected the foreign intervention as a domestic matter. Additionally, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern over recent violence in the West Bank involving Israeli extremists attacking European diplomats.