Trump issues final message as Israel prepares for neck-and-neck election
US President Donald Trump has re-endorsed embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hinting that further military action against Iran could be in the works as Israelis prepare for a hugely consequential and closely contested election.
The polls to elect Israel’s next parliament open from 7am on Tuesday, October 27 local time (4pm Tuesday AEDT) and close at 10pm that night (7am Wednesday AEDT).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greets supporters at a Tel Aviv market. Ariel Schalit
Polls forecast an extremely tight race, suggesting trouble for the incumbent government.
Trump, who gave Netanyahu a relatively belated, if full-throated, endorsement last week after mounting private tensions between the two leaders, re-issued his backing for the incumbent in a Truth Social post on Monday.
“As everyone is aware, including the enemy, Bibi and I have had a great relationship in winning together,” Trump said.
“I did the Venezuelan attack, one of the most successful Military Operations in History but, before that, we did Operation Midnight Hammer, stopping the World’s Number One State Sponsor of Terror from obtaining a Nuclear Weapon.
“Then we did Operation Epic Fury, and Iran now has No Navy, No Air Force, and both their Military and Economy are in shambles, including the fact that Iran’s Inflation is at 301%.”
He said Netanyahu was an “outstanding Warrior Prime Minister”.
“Vote for Bibi Netanyahu for Prime Minister, we have to finish the job that we started!” he said.
Reports have surfaced that the US and Israel have discussed potentially resuming “hot” military action after the US midterms against Iran after weeks of relative detente.
In his latest comment, Trump only told reporters, “No, there will not be a strike today”.
Netanyahu, meanwhile has claimed Iran plans to interfere in Israel’s elections, issuing a warning to the regime in Tehran.
Anti-government demonstrators rally ahead of the general election. David Goldman
“The (military) is ready both to defend and to strike,” he said in a video statement.
“You will suffer disproportionate blows far greater than you can imagine.”
Netanyahu, a long-term leader who has earned a reputation as one of the great survivors of the country’s tumultuous domestic politics, is facing widespread dissatisfaction in Israel, with tens of thousands protesting in Tel Aviv in the hours leading up to the vote.
His hard-right coalition government is facing internal divisions over perceived timidity on Iran after Trump demanded Israel forego further attacks on the country, while other factions question how the October 7 attacks by Hamas managed to evade Israeli security precautions, and criticise the extent of the destruction in Gaza.
Former Israeli army chief of staff and Yashar Party leader, Gadi Eisenkot. Amir Levy
Despite public declarations of friendship, Netanyahu’s relationship with Trump has also been reportedly frayed, with the White House angered by the Israeli military’s ongoing activity in Lebanon and Gaza undermining the Trump administration’s stop-start attempts at cementing a peace in the region.
Thousands of expatriate Israeli citizens are also flying in to vote in person, the Associated Press has said.
Israel has more than 7.3 million registered voters, but polling suggests a tight race.
The election will be held this week. Oded Balilty
Previous elections have turned on thin margins. It’s unclear what effect these voters might have, but many liberal Israelis who don’t support Netanyahu have left the country in recent years, suggesting that those returning to cast ballots would not support him.
“Many Israelis who have left over the years – and especially since October 7 – are exposed to the isolation and animosity toward the country much more palpably than those inside, and as such are likely to want to vote out Netanyahu,” said Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, a nonprofit think tank.
Israel only counts in-person votes on election day, with exceptions for people serving the country internationally, such as military members and diplomatic officials.
Israel’s multipolar political sphere splits the vote regularly enough that outright majority governments in its parliament, the Knesset, have become a rarity.
Netanyahu’s Likud governs by virtue of a coalition with hard-right parties, which endorse expanded Israeli settlement and have threatened to withdraw their support if the country winds back military operations, or conversely, if it withdraws national service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox communities.
The primary opposition bloc consists of the new Yashar party, led by former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eiesnkot, and Together, led by former prime ministers Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett.
Eisenkot, considered the main challenger, has pledged to establish a state commission of inquiry to investigate the October 7 attacks and Israel’s conduct during the war.
Eisenkot says he wants to restore the country’s standing with international allies.
Netanyahu faces an ongoing trial over corruption charges in Israel, which has been interrupted by security concerns in the wake of the 2023 Hamas attacks, with some opponents accusing him of fomenting or prolonging conflicts to stay out of court.
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