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Trump Endorses Netanyahu as Israel Election Nears, Iran Policy Unity Draws Scrutiny
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Trump endorses Netanyahu ahead of Israeli elections. Endorsement heightens scrutiny of US-Israel Iran policy alignment.
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Trump backs Netanyahu
President Donald Trump issued a “Complete and Total Endorsement” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Truth Social, describing him as “a Great Warrior” nine days out from Israel’s election. Shira Efron told NPR host A Martínez that Netanyahu “basically received” U.S. policy choices during Trump’s first term and that Netanyahu “has basically intervened in U.S. elections - endorsing Trump.”
Efron said the relationship also reflects policy unity on Iran, adding that “Back on, back off on Iran” has not produced the “strategic victory” Israel and the United States “wanted to see.” Efron argued that if Israel planned another strike on Iran close to its elections, it would be “blatant interference,” and she said it could be aimed to “postpone the elections” because Netanyahu is “lagging in the polls.”
Interference debate
The Jerusalem Post argued that Trump’s endorsement of Netanyahu and his Likud party for next week’s election was “a flagrant example of foreign interference in another country’s election process.” The Jerusalem Post quoted Trump’s Truth Social post, saying “Bibi Netanyahu has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister and an even greater Partner for Peace in combating the Islamic Republic of Iran...”
Shira Efron told NPR that Trump’s endorsement did not start with the current war phase and that Netanyahu’s political connection to the United States dates back to earlier years, including Netanyahu visiting Trump in Mar-a-Lago in the summer of 2024. Efron said Trump still enjoys “very high approval ratings in Israel,” and she added that many Israelis believe “the Israeli hostages would not have returned home if it wasn't for the interference of the" president.
War plans and stakes
Middle East policy expert Shira Efron told NPR that warnings about Iran rebuilding its ballistic missiles program and restarting nuclear weapons efforts have not yet produced the “strategic victory” Israel and the United States sought. Efron said the question is whether “another round” can achieve what previous rounds did not, and she argued that “this is not a sustainable strategy.”
“It is my professional assessment that this is not a sustainable strategy.”
نون بوست described a five-day window before Netanyahu’s elections and said the region’s “most pressing question remains: Will Netanyahu ignite a new confrontation, as a final card that could save his political future.” نون بوست said the United States took “precautionary measures” involving possible repatriation of diplomats and family members from Saudi Arabia and repositioning forces in Jordan, Qatar, and Kuwait, while it also cited “dozens of Israeli fighter jets” operating over Syria and Iraq toward the Iranian border.