As Israel’s planned October 27 elections approach, U.S. President Donald Trump has not directly endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for another term in office.
In an interview conducted Monday and published Thursday, Trump was asked whether Netanyahu should serve again as prime minister. Trump said he was no longer involved in politics. He said he wanted to help Israel’s defense but stopped short of openly endorsing Netanyahu.
Trump claimed that Netanyahu’s popularity among the Israeli public had approached 99 percent because of his past policies. Trump said he had not heard bad things about Netanyahu’s rival, former military commander Gadi Eisenkot, and added that Netanyahu had been politically written off many times in the past but should not be underestimated.
Trump-Netanyahu ties have become strained in recent months
Trump said his relationship with Netanyahu had become more strained in recent months. The U.S. president linked the tension to the war in Iran, as well as Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon and Gaza.
Trump also said he doubted reports that Netanyahu had received advance intelligence before the October 7 attacks. He argued that if the Israeli prime minister had known about the attacks, he would have taken measures to prevent them.
The Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz
Trump said the Iran war had entered its seventh month and stated that he had expanded the military operations to dismantle Tehran’s armed and nuclear infrastructure. He said he had wanted the operations, initially planned to last four to eight weeks, to be taken further.
Trump said Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz had been effective for a time, but claimed that the United States later took control of the strategic waterway through which he said one-fifth of global oil consumption passes.
Trump said Iran had rejected a ceasefire proposal calling for the strait to be reopened because its terms were insufficient. Asked whether airstrikes would be intensified after the U.S. congressional midterm elections, Trump said this was possible but added that he could not give a definitive answer.
