President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Trump responds to Netanyahu’s rival, Gadi Eisenkot, receiving a mandate for form a new government, arguing that the two leaders are not far apart on policy.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
President Donald Trump declined to reaffirm his support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, instead emphasizing the political similarities between Netanyahu and his rival Gadi Eisenkot, who has been given the first opportunity to form Israel’s next government.
Speaking to reporters in Florida before returning to Washington, Trump suggested that either Israeli leader could work closely with his administration, despite having strongly endorsed Netanyahu ahead of the October 27 Knesset elections.
“They have very similar views,” Trump said when asked about Eisenkot’s appointment.
The president also spoke favorably of Eisenkot’s attitude toward his administration, saying the former IDF chief of staff had expressed admiration for him.
“He says he loves Trump,” the president remarked.
Trump acknowledged that he had not closely followed the latest political developments in Israel, but indicated that he viewed the contest between the two Israeli leaders as unresolved.
“We’ll see what happens,” he said, adding that both politicians were supportive of his policies.
“They’re both strong on what I do.”
The remarks marked a notable change in emphasis from Trump’s intervention in Israel’s election campaign last month, when he publicly urged Israelis to support Netanyahu.
On October 18, Trump announced his endorsement of the prime minister, praising his leadership during the conflict with Iran and warning that Israel’s other political leaders could leave the United States facing Tehran without sufficient Israeli cooperation.
“BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump declared at the time.
The endorsement came just nine days before the election, in which Netanyahu’s Likud emerged as the largest party but the prime minister’s right-wing bloc failed to secure a parliamentary majority.
Following the vote, Trump claimed that his intervention had dramatically improved Netanyahu’s electoral prospects, preventing what he described as an otherwise decisive defeat.
However, the American president stopped short of expressing a preference between Netanyahu and Eisenkot on Sunday, suggesting he could maintain a productive relationship with either.
Trump’s comments came hours after President Isaac Herzog formally assigned Eisenkot the task of establishing Israel’s 26th government.
During consultations with parliamentary factions, Eisenkot secured recommendations from parties representing 67 of the Knesset’s 120 members, compared with 46 for Netanyahu. Another seven lawmakers, all from the United Torah Judaism party, declined to recommend either candidate.
Herzog said the distribution of recommendations demonstrated Eisenkot’s “clear and unequivocal support” among lawmakers on the question of who should receive the first opportunity to form a government.
The president acknowledged that Likud remained the largest individual party but said parliamentary recommendations and established precedent justified assigning the mandate to Eisenkot.
The Yashar chairman now has 28 days to assemble a coalition, with Herzog authorized to grant an additional 14 days if necessary.
Despite the numerical advantage in recommendations, Eisenkot faces considerable obstacles.
His 67 recommendations include 19 lawmakers from Arab parties, whose potential involvement in supporting a new government remains controversial among several of his prospective coalition partners.
Some members of the Jewish opposition bloc have ruled out joining a government dependent on Arab parliamentary support, leaving Eisenkot to explore alternative arrangements.
Possibilities include cooperation with ultra-Orthodox factions, negotiations with members of the existing right-wing coalition or some form of political accommodation with Netanyahu’s Likud.
Eisenkot has called for the establishment of a national emergency government and indicated that political compromises will be necessary to resolve the deadlock.
During Sunday’s ceremony, he extended an invitation to lawmakers across the political spectrum, including members of Likud and Religious Zionism, to join a government under his leadership.
“My door is open and my hand is extended,” Eisenkot said.
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