Trump Has Yet to Endorse Benjamin Netanyahu Ahead of Israeli Election in New Rift

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

President Donald Trump has yet to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing re-election in less than 90 days and falling short in the polls.

Netanyahu’s camp would obtain about 50 seats in Israel’s Knesset if voting were held now, according to the Times of Israel, well-shy of the 61 seats required for a majority in the legislative body.

Trump, who launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran with joint Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28, hosted Bibi in the Oval Office as recently as two weeks ago, but has not yet backed him for re-election, according to Axios.

The American president asked during the meeting how Netanyahu was doing in the polls back home, prompting a Netanyahu aide to allegedly lie and claim, “Mr. President, he is winning,” the outlet reported.

The apparent lack of political love comes as tensions have bubbled up between the two leaders over the Iran war and Gaza, with Netanyahu recently rejecting Trump’s peace plan for the region.

Netanyahu may not necessarily need to win his election to stay in power, Axios noted.

The other leading contender, former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Godi Eizenkot, has been leading in polls, but his party has yet to win enough support for its own majority, Axios reported.

If opponents do not win a majority, Netanyahu can remain as a “caretaker” prime minister, according to Axios, keeping his grip on power for several months as the country waits for another election.

Trump has been frustrated by Netanyahu recently, two senior U.S. officials anonymously claimed to Axios.

“Bibi is his own worst enemy,” Trump reportedly said.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s opponents have been trying to get to Trump via back channels, urging the American leader to stay out of the Israeli contest.

Eizenkot, along with former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, have reached out to Trump via friends, donors and political allies, Axios claimed.

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