US President Donald Trump has claimed that his endorsement helped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu perform better than anticipated in Israel’s parliamentary election. Preliminary figures cited in the report showed the pro-Netanyahu bloc with 55 seats and the opposing bloc with 49, while Arab parties were projected to secure 16 seats. The figures remained incomplete, with 57.3% of ballot boxes counted at the reported time. Netanyahu’s bloc had not secured a parliamentary majority, leaving the outcome and government-formation prospects uncertain.
Donald Trump Claims Endorsement Helped Netanyahu Defy Israel Election Predictions
US President Donald Trump said his public endorsement contributed to Benjamin Netanyahu’s strong election showing, even as partial results showed the Israeli prime minister’s bloc failed to achieve a parliamentary majority.
Donald Trump’s endorsement of Benjamin Netanyahu has emerged as a flashpoint in the Israeli election debate, after the US president asserted his backing had helped the prime minister perform better than anticipated in the 26th Knesset election.
Partial results from Israel’s Central Elections Committee showed Netanyahu’s bloc in the lead but short of the number of seats needed to form a government on its own. The numbers pointed to a tight political race.
As of 7:58 a.m., with 57.3% of the ballot boxes counted, the pro-Netanyahu bloc had 55 seats, and the anti-Netanyahu bloc had 49. Arab parties were expected to capture 16 seats.
The results were preliminary, and more ballots were to be tallied. The 2.6% for the Reservists, 1.7% for the People of Israel and 0.2% for the Charedi Public were all below the 3.25% threshold for entering the Knesset.
Trump Credits Netanyahu Endorsement for Electoral Gains
Trump shared a statement on Truth Social Wednesday from Irving C Schwartz, who argued the endorsement has changed the trajectory of the election from a projected blowout loss to a potential draw or win.
Schwartz wrote that the change happened after Trump’s endorsement and said that the US president’s aims were good for the Middle East, Israel and the United States.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Trump also commented to reporters near Air Force One after a rally in Texas about Netanyahu’s performance.
Trump said he had heard exit polls were wrong and that Netanyahu did well in a close race. And the endorsement had helped the Israeli leader a great deal, he added.
Israeli officials were quoting the US president as saying Netanyahu had done better than expected, but warned it was too early to say whether the result would be a stalemate or a victory.
Netanyahu Publicly Acknowledges Trump’s Support
Netanyahu had pointed to Trump’s support before the election. In a television appearance late Sunday, the Israeli prime minister praised the relationship between the two leaders and called the US president an unusually friendly partner.
It is a friendship that has not been seen before between an Israeli prime minister and an American president, Netanyahu said. He also said Trump urged voters to vote for him.
On Sunday, Trump had issued a direct appeal via social media, urging Israelis to vote for Netanyahu, saying the two leaders needed to finish the work they had begun.
The endorsement brought the US president visibly into Israel’s domestic political debate, though partial results available do not independently establish how much influence his backing had on voters.
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Iran Policy Adds to Election Stakes
Netanyahu also spoke of his leadership in light of security concerns over Iran, pointing to the possibility of further actions by Israel and the United States against Tehran.
He said Mr Trump was ready to act to remove what he described as the Iranian threat. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he instructed the Mossad intelligence agency and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to work to change the regime in Iran.
At the same time, exit polls had indicated that Netanyahu’s bloc and Eisenkot’s bloc would each win about 51 seats, while Arab parties were projected to win about 18 seats.
Netanyahu called for a right-wing government, stating his bloc had a strong and decisive majority among Jewish voters and supporters of a Jewish state.
Coalition Talks Remain Central to the Outcome
The partial count indicated Netanyahu’s election results may be better than projected, but not enough to guarantee him a governing majority. The political result will depend on how the seats are ultimately distributed and what coalitions are subsequently negotiated.
Ultimately, the question is whether Netanyahu can turn his bloc’s lead into a viable government as Sprouts News tracks the developments, while the reported figures do not substantiate Trump’s asserted electoral clout.
