In the Oval Office: One question from Donald Trump left Benjamin Netanyahu without answers
While the US President continues to refuse to publicly support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the upcoming elections, it turns out that one question the American President asked him caused Netanyahu to hesitate.
When Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump met in the Oval Office two weeks ago, the American President asked the Prime Minister about his standing in the polls ahead of the elections to be held on October 27. Netanyahu hesitated, and then one of his advisors intervened: "Mr. President, he is winning." However, the reality on the ground is completely different. Netanyahu is not winning, and so far, despite his expectations, Trump has not given him the public support he hopes for. This is according to a report by correspondent Barak Ravid on the Axios website.
With only 75 days left until the polls open, time is working against Netanyahu. According to the polls, the current coalition is winning only 49 to 53 seats, far from the 61 seats required to form a government. On the other hand, the opposition parties have 67 to 70 seats, and his main rival, former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, has higher approval ratings. Nevertheless, Netanyahu's strategy is simple: he does not have to win, he just needs not to lose.
His main effort is to prevent his rivals from swearing in a government without the support of the Arab parties, a move that could leave him as Prime Minister of a transitional government for many long months.
US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Turkey, against Iran (Photo: DRM news)
According to Ravid's report, in the first weeks of the war in Iran, Trump's advisors were sure that the President would express unequivocal support for Netanyahu, and he even considered calling for a pardon to end his trial. But as the war bogged down in the mud, their political and diplomatic goals diverged significantly. Trump, who expressed frustration with Netanyahu's conduct regarding the fighting in Gaza and Lebanon, was recently quoted in closed conversations as saying: "Bibi is his own worst enemy."
Tensions sharpened in light of Netanyahu's public rejection of the "Peace Council plan for Gaza" to disarm Hamas. The White House saw this as a political move in the midst of an election season. Following a conversation with Jared Kushner, Netanyahu promised to give the plan a chance, and since then the IDF has indeed reduced its strikes and retreated to the "yellow line."
At the same time, behind the scenes, Netanyahu's political rivals, including Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Yair Lapid, sent secret messages to Trump's associates requesting that he remain neutral in the elections. It seems that Netanyahu's weakness deterred the President, who aims to promote a regional agenda that includes peace agreements with Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Lebanon, and is determined not to allow Israeli politics to delay his plans as happened in the election rounds that took place in 2019.
