United States President Donald Trump has endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s October 27 parliamentary election, urging voters to return the long-serving leader to office.
Trump announced his support in a message on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, October 18, praising Netanyahu’s leadership despite opposition within Israel and internationally.
He described Netanyahu as a strong partner and said the United States wanted to continue working with him.
“Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel,” Trump wrote.
Netanyahu thanked Trump for the endorsement, saying their cooperation had helped address security concerns, particularly regarding Iran.
“Israel has never had a greater friend in the White House. Together we will never let Iran’s regime get nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu wrote on X.
He also urged Israeli voters to consider Trump’s message, saying the two leaders had achieved significant results but still had work to complete.
The election will be Israel’s first since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023.
Opposition politicians have accused Netanyahu of bearing responsibility for the security failures surrounding the attack, alleging that warnings about the threat were ignored.
Netanyahu, who returned to power in December 2022 with a coalition that included far-right and ultra-nationalist parties, has also faced criticism over his government’s judicial reforms and continued corruption proceedings.
A conviction in the corruption cases could carry a prison sentence.
His main challenger is former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the centre-right Yashar party, who has repeatedly blamed Netanyahu for the failures preceding the October 7 attack.
According to opinion polls cited in the report, neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition grouping led by Eisenkot has secured a clear path to the 61 seats required to control Israel’s 120-member parliament and form a government.
About seven million Israelis are eligible to vote.
Trump and Netanyahu have worked closely together during Israel’s military campaigns following the October 7 attack, including operations against Iran.
The report said Trump joined Israel in an attack on Iran in late February before agreeing to a ceasefire in April, following opposition to the war in the United States and a sharp rise in oil prices.
However, the two leaders have differed over how to approach Tehran.
Netanyahu has rejected the prospect of a diplomatic agreement with Iran’s leadership, while Trump pursued a negotiated end to the conflict.
Trump warned that electing someone other than Netanyahu could leave Washington dealing with issues he believed the Israeli prime minister should address.
Eisenkot, while acknowledging his admiration for Trump, said the choice of Israel’s leader belonged to its citizens.
Speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv, he stressed that voters alone had the authority to determine the country’s political leadership.
Trump’s endorsement came as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern over rising tensions in the occupied West Bank following an attack by Israeli settlers that injured an American photojournalist working for The Washington Post.
Rubio said Washington was disturbed by images of the incident, while Netanyahu’s office said it was investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Netanyahu, who turned 77 on October 21, is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, having held office for more than 19 years across several terms.
Meanwhile, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also endorsed Netanyahu on Sunday, describing him as the only person capable of serving as prime minister.
