Netanyahu brings Trump into election campaign

Netanyahu election ad centers around U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and Trump’s declaration from that day.

By David Jablinowitz, World Israel News

U.S. President Donald Trump appears in a promotional advertisement in support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though the statement from the president is from last May and has nothing to do with the upcoming Israeli Knesset election. The ad appears on social media.

It’s a 15-second video and begins with a text on the screen that reads: “They said it’s impossible.” Netanyahu is then seen at the cabinet table, saying: “The U.S. embassy needs to be here in Jerusalem.”

Then Trump appears. He is speaking from the declaration that he made in May on the day when the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem was dedicated.

“Today we officially opened the United States Embassy in Jerusalem. Congratulations,” says the president.

A Hebrew narrator then says, with the words also appearing on the screen, “Netanyahu. Another league.”

The underlying message of the ad is that Netanyahu can achieve goals that others would have considered impossible. His campaign has taken up the theme of how Israel has developed diplomatic relations with additional countries during Netanyahu’s time as prime minister, even as members of the political opposition have claimed that Israel has become diplomatically isolated.

It was not immediately clear if the ad was released in coordination with the White House. However, the two leaders have worked closely on such issues as moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and on the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

Ahead of the 2013 Knesset election and before he became U.S. president, Trump appeared in a video endorsement of Netanyahu, saying: “Vote for Benjamin, terrific guy, terrific leader, great for Israel.”

In those days, Netanyahu was in the midst of a difficult eight-year relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama.