US President Donald Trump has urged Israeli voters to support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the country’s upcoming election, praising him as an “outstanding Warrior Prime Minister” amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Trump made the appeal on Sunday in a post on his Truth Social platform, pointing to the US-Israel war against Iran as an example of what he described as the two countries “winning together”.
“When you go to the Polls please remember that Bibi has been an outstanding Warrior Prime Minister,” Trump wrote, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.
The endorsement came as Netanyahu and his main challenger, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, intensified their campaigns ahead of Tuesday’s election.
Eisenkot held his final major rally on Sunday, promising to heal divisions within Israeli society and restore public confidence in the country’s leadership. Recent polls had shown Netanyahu and Eisenkot running neck and neck before a three-day ban on publishing new opinion polls took effect.
Netanyahu has made his security record a central theme of his campaign, highlighting the war against Iran and presenting himself as the leader best equipped to protect Israel.
Eisenkot, however, has questioned Netanyahu’s leadership, arguing that the prime minister is unfit to continue in office. He has also pledged to establish a state commission of inquiry into the failures that preceded Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Addressing hundreds of supporters at his rally, Eisenkot promised to bring Israelis together after years of political and social division under Netanyahu’s leadership.
“Our goal is not for one side to defeat the other. That is not our way,” he said.
“We will work to bring all Israelis together again — those who voted for us and those who did not.”
Eisenkot, a former army chief who entered frontline politics more recently than Netanyahu, has sought to distinguish himself by promising greater accountability and a more unifying style of leadership.
His message appears to have resonated with some voters who are frustrated with the country’s political divisions.
Yael Shkedi, a 66-year-old jewellery maker who attended the rally, said she viewed Eisenkot as someone capable of restoring confidence in the country’s leadership.
“I feel that he’s a rock for us… he’s someone I can trust,” she said.
“Amid all this chaos, what really matters to me is this feeling of someone who can somehow bring everyone together, almost like a father figure.”
During his speech, Eisenkot promised to be honest with the public and accept responsibility for both achievements and failures.
He also appealed directly to voters who support Netanyahu’s Likud party, urging them to reconsider their political allegiance.
“Deep down, you too know that Israel cannot go on like this,” he said. “Israel needs change.”
Netanyahu’s critics have accused him of prioritising his political survival over the country’s broader interests. He is also facing trial on corruption charges, which he denies.
Chen Sharon, an army reservist who attended Eisenkot’s rally, said she wanted leaders whose values and promises she could trust.
“We need someone that we can actually believe his values and what he represents to us,” she said.
Netanyahu Warns Against Palestinian State
Netanyahu has also focused his campaign on opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state, with campaign posters displaying the slogan “Either the Right or Palestine”.
He has repeatedly argued that his political opponents would be less effective in confronting Iran and protecting Israel’s security.
Speaking on Israeli television after Eisenkot’s rally, Netanyahu claimed that his rival and his allies wanted to establish a Palestinian state, which he described as “a catastrophe for Israel”.
“They will not destroy Iran’s nuclear programme,” Netanyahu said. “We’ve done 90 percent of the work, 10 percent remains. Who is going to do it? Eisenkot and the Muslim Brotherhood? No. Only I can do it.”
Eisenkot has also stated that he opposes a Palestinian state, but has promised tougher action against extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank who have attacked Palestinians.
Netanyahu further shared an AI-generated image depicting a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv, alongside commentary describing Iran as an existential threat to Israel.
The image came amid growing political debate over the results of the war against Iran and whether the government’s military objectives had been achieved.
In a post on X on Saturday, Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of using the Iranian threat for political advantage and failing to achieve the objectives he had set for the war.
“You have once again failed spectacularly and blatantly to achieve the war objectives you yourself set,” Eisenkot wrote.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who has pledged to join a coalition with Eisenkot, also criticised Netanyahu, saying the prime minister had lost control of the situation.
Lapid pointed to Netanyahu’s recent comments about US security assistance and economic sanctions, contrasting them with the prime minister’s social media post showing the fictional nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv.
“This man has lost his grip. We absolutely must send him home,” Lapid said.
With the election approaching, Trump’s public endorsement has added another international dimension to an already heated contest, as Netanyahu seeks to retain power while Eisenkot campaigns on a promise of political change, national unity and greater accountability.
Source: AFP
