Opposition leaders tried to block Trump endorsement of Netanyahu – report

Israel’s opposition parties lobbied US officials to discourage President Trump from publicly endorsing Prime Minister Netanyahu ahead of this month’s Knesset election.

By World Israel News Staff

Senior figures in Israel’s opposition parties attempted to prevent President Donald Trump from endorsing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kan News reported on Sunday, stepping up contacts with American diplomats ahead of Israel’s general election.

The contacts intensified ahead of Israel’s October 27 parliamentary election, amid concerns within the opposition’s Change Bloc that neither side would emerge with a clear majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

According to the report, an official from one of the opposition parties identified two objectives behind the diplomatic outreach: discouraging Trump from openly supporting Netanyahu during the election campaign and establishing channels through which opposition figures could seek to influence the American president’s actions following the vote.

Opposition officials were reportedly particularly concerned that Trump might attempt to broker a national unity government involving Netanyahu if the elections failed to produce a decisive result.

The report also indicated that Netanyahu’s associates had been lobbying Trump from the opposite direction, seeking an explicit presidential endorsement before election day. Likud officials reportedly continued pressing for a clear declaration of support for the prime minister.

Trump had previously left open the possibility of endorsing a candidate without identifying whom he would support.

“I haven’t thought about it. Maybe I’ll do something. We may endorse somebody in these elections,” Trump told reporters on October 13.

The opposition’s concerns came amid separate reports about efforts to promote a unity government bringing together Netanyahu’s Likud party and former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party.

On October 12, Ynet reported that President Isaac Herzog had raised the possibility of such an arrangement with opposition politicians.

Herzog’s office emphatically denied the report, saying the president had not discussed a unity government with any candidate or Knesset member.

Eisenkot also rejected the possibility of serving in a government headed by Netanyahu, declaring that the prime minister “cannot serve as prime minister, minister or deputy minister.”

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee subsequently dismissed reports that the Trump administration was attempting to promote a unity government involving Netanyahu and Eisenkot.

“This is absolutely NOT true. Not in the least,” Huckabee wrote on October 15.

“The US government is NOT trying to manipulate Israel’s election or telling the Israeli PM what to do. Period. Full stop.”

The opposition’s reported efforts to prevent a presidential endorsement ultimately proved unsuccessful.

On Sunday, October 18, Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu, describing him as a “Great Warrior Prime Minister” and an essential American partner in confronting Iran.

The announcement prompted Eisenkot to acknowledge that he had attempted to discourage American involvement in the Israeli election.

“There were a number of meetings I don’t want to elaborate on,” Eisenkot told Channel 12. “I requested that there be no intervention in Israel’s internal election. But I’ll deal with it.”

Speaking at Tel Aviv University, Eisenkot emphasized his appreciation for the American president while insisting that Israeli voters would determine the outcome.

“Israel is a democracy,” he said, adding that “Israel’s citizens are the only ones who will decide who the prime minister will be.”