Trump endorses war criminal Netanyahu ahead of Israeli election

TEHRAN - President Donald Trump on Sunday endorsed his Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted a war criminal by the International Criminal Court (ICC), as the prime minister is struggling s for an edge in next week’s parliamentary election. The support for Netanyahu comes as Netanyahu is being accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Trump praised Netanyahu as a “great warrior prime minister” and peace partner, crediting him with joining the United States in launching strikes on Iran in February. The conflict, in its seventh month, has disrupted energy markets globally and wreaked havoc across the Middle East. Contrary to what Trump claims, it is Netanyahu who urged him to launch war against Iran with the participation of Israel. Joe Kent, former U.S. counterterrorism chief, resigned on March 17, 2026, in protest against the war. In his resignation letter, he stated that the United States had started the war “due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” He also accused senior Israeli officials and influential media figures of promoting misinformation to encourage military action. Also, Badr Albusaidi, Oman's foreign minister, explicitly said that Israel's leadership persuaded Trump to enter the war by presenting the prospect of a swift Iranian surrender. In a March 19, 2026 article in the Guardian, he said Washington's greatest miscalculation was allowing itself to be drawn into the conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said on March 2, just three days after Iran came under unprovoked and illegal joint aggression, that Israel was going to attack Iran and that Washington had to be prepared to act in response. “Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Despite all of that, he has endured and, in fact, he has thrived! I have watched Bibi under the most trying of times. Normal men or women in such situations would have wilted under the pressure — But Bibi did not wilt, he actually got stronger, and maintains that same Strength today.” In his message, addressed to “the Great People of Israel,” Trump added, “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’s endorsement is not certain to give Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party a boost in the Oct. 27 national election, as Israeli public support for Trump has diminished amid Israeli-U.S. disagreements over Iran, NBC News reported. Polls have suggested no candidate has a clear path to power. Israel’s prime minister is chosen through coalition-building in parliament rather than by direct popular vote. Daniel Goldman, a House representative, wrote on X that Trump should not express his opinion about elections in another country. He described Netanyahu as an “anti-democratic, pro-authoritarian candidate”. US senator calls Netanyahu speech ‘wildly disrespectful’ Meanwhile, US Senator Brian Schatz has slammed Netanyahu for justifying the war on Iran. “Netanyahu speaking to Americans, direct to camera, to justify this war and scold us about being upset about gas prices is a wildly disrespectful and super aggravating closing message,” the Democratic senator from Hawaii said in a post on X Sunday. In his video message posted on social media, Netanyahu thanked Trump for the endorsement and said, “Israel has never had a greater friend in the White House”. The remarks come as the US-Israeli war against Iran has contributed to declining public approval of both leaders, with their popularity falling to its lowest levels among the Israeli and American public. The latest figures from the Pew Research Center, published on October 8, show that only 33% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the U.S. military action against Iran, while 65% disapprove.