While Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's political future remains uncertain, US President Donald Trump avoids making a clear statement about who he supports in the Israeli elections. The attitude of Trump, who has not hesitated to openly support candidates he sees close to him in the countries where elections have been held recently, has increased the unrest on the Netanyahu side.
It is envisaged that a new coalition government will be formed after the elections in Israel. Although the opposition parties renewed their hopes of overthrowing the far-right government with poll results pushing the 50 percent rate, they have not yet been able to agree on an alliance formula. Netanyahu's partners put him in a difficult situation with their demands to expand the occupation in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Netanyahu continued to support policies of genocide and expansionism at the expense of confrontation with Trump, who demanded an end to wars in the region.
Netanyahu, who frequently stated that he had good relations with the USA before the general elections, announced that he rejected the USA's Gaza peace plan when he could not receive Trump's open support. Netanyahu's move was not openly criticized by Trump. On the other hand, Trump has preferred to remain silent on Israel in recent weeks. According to Israeli media, Trump's silence indicates that the tension between the two names is escalating.
INTENSE WORK BEHIND THE SCENES
According to Maariv, the Israeli opposition is working hard behind the scenes to ensure that Trump remains neutral in the elections. The news noted that the White House was increasingly disappointed with Netanyahu's attitude, and it was stated that contacts between Trump's team and Israeli opposition parties became more frequent in August.
Benjamin Netanyahu's political situation further complicates US calculations. The current coalition appears far from reaching the 61 MPs needed to form a government. For Netanyahu to remain in power, it may be enough to prevent the opposition camp from reaching the majority. If no one succeeds in forming a government, he will remain in office as interim prime minister until the next elections. This possibility is particularly worrying for Washington because this scenario means that Trump's regional agenda will have to wait months for Israeli politics.
ELECTION QUESTION THAT MADE NETANYAHU PAUSE
Trump has personal political influence over Netanyahu. So far, he has avoided publicly backing the Israeli Prime Minister, as Netanyahu had hoped. When they met at the White House about two weeks ago, Trump asked Netanyahu about his performance in the polls.
While Netanyahu hesitated to respond to Trump, one of his advisors quickly replied to the US President, "He's winning."
The data tells a different story. Although polls in Israel show Netanyahu's party in first place, it seems unlikely that his ruling partners will elect enough MPs to form a coalition again.
Trump has been asked four times in recent weeks whether he supports Netanyahu. Each time, the US President was careful not to express his open support.
TRUMP'S TRUMP
Trump has already shown in the past that he is ready to throw his full weight behind the Israeli election campaign. Days before the April 2019 elections, the US President legally recognized the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights. Netanyahu later boasted that this move helped him. Trump can help Netanyahu win the elections again with his support. This situation gives the US President a powerful trump card against Netanyahu.
The Israeli opposition also understands this trump card very well. In recent months, close circles of opposition leaders Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have conveyed messages to Trump's team to remain neutral in the elections. According to the Israeli press, these efforts show that Trump has become a part of the Israeli elections.
RELATIONS BETWEEN NATANYAHU AND TRUMP
The personal relationship between the two men has never been severed. Senior US officials describe Trump as someone who likes Netanyahu but is increasingly frustrated with his decisions.
In Axios' report, it was noted that Trump said in private conversations that Netanyahu was "his own worst enemy."
Following the agreement with Iran and the restrictions imposed by the United States on Israel in Iran, Gaza, Syria and Lebanon, Tel Aviv's support for some of Trump's policies weakened. In addition, Trump limited his support due to the increasing reaction of his voters towards Israel. Too aggressive intervention in Israeli elections could damage Trump's credibility with Republican voters.
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER'S ROOM FOR MANEUVER IS Narrowed
In Maariv's report, it was argued that there was no basis for an assessment that Trump was about to become an enemy of Israel or Netanyahu. The news emphasized that Trump could support Netanyahu in the long term, as he did in the past, and stated that regional crises will continue to test bilateral relations. It was noted that Netanyahu was increasingly cornered in domestic politics as the support he received from the United States decreased. Netanyahu, who has been pursuing a strategy of expanding his genocidal policies to win votes for a long time, is having trouble convincing Israeli voters without starting a war.
