Trump advisors confident US-Israel ties will remain strong even if Netanyahu loses election – report

U.S. President Donald Trump’s advisors are optimistic about continued strong ties with Israel regardless of the outcome of the Israeli election, the news outlet Axios reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

The Trump advisors reportedly expressed confidence in working with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political rivals if the prime minister loses the election on Tuesday.

The report comes merely days after Trump officially endorsed Netanyahu in the upcoming election. In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump hailed Netanyahu as "a Great Warrior Prime Minister" and a "great partner" in the unfinished war against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"It is important that Israel has a person they can count on," Trump argued.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one Trump advisor offered an interpretation of Trump’s official support for Netanyahu.

“[Netanyahu] is the devil [Trump] knows,” the Trump advisor told Axios. While Trump officially endorsed Netanyahu, several of the American president’s advisors have reportedly become frustrated with Netanyahu’s personality and policies. This reported reality could explain why some Trump advisors are secretly welcoming a new government in Jerusalem.

It is currently unclear whether Trump’s endorsement of Netanyahu will boost the prime minister’s chances in the Israeli election. Past polls indicate that Trump used to enjoy wide support among the Israeli public after recognizing Israel’s capital, Jerusalem and supporting Israel against the Iranian-led terrorist axis.

However, more recent polls indicate that a growing number of Israelis are no longer certain that Trump prioritizes the Jewish state’s security as the U.S. president has developed close ties with Turkey and Qatar, two countries that are hostile towards Israel. There have also been reported tensions between Trump and Netanyahu on various political issues.

Meanwhile, many of Trump’s close advisors reportedly opposed the president’s endorsement of Netanyahu, according to the Axios report. They believe the Trump administration should not get involved in the Israeli election. U.S. Vice President JD Vance articulated this neutral stance earlier this week.

“I'm not attacking Bibi Netanyahu. I'm not endorsing Bibi Netanyahu… I think the president's endorsement is ultimately what matters,” the vice president told media reporters. Vance has a history of tense disagreements with the Netanyahu administration.

In contrast, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has maintained stable ties with the Netanyahu government. In June, Lebanon and Israel signed an American-backed trilateral agreement, which links Israeli military withdrawal from Lebanon to the disarmament of the Iranian-backed terrorist militia Hezbollah.

However, the U.S. State Department has also signaled that the Netanyahu government could do more to advance improved relations with Lebanon and back American efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip.

The U.S. State Department has also urged the Netanyahu government to act against fringe extremist Jewish settler violence in Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack has criticized Israel’s military operations in Syria. After the Israeli Air Force conducted strikes on the Syrian northern Idlib province, Barrack criticized the Netanyahu government’s Syria policy as “unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability."

Israeli officials argued that the strikes were necessary to prevent Turkey from increasing its military presence in Syria, which Israel views as a security threat. Turkey denied that it intended to establish a military presence in the area.

The final poll in Israel suggests that the opposition parties have increased their lead against the Netanyahu-led bloc ahead of the election. However, the polls also show that both the coalition and opposition parties lack the required minimum of 61 Knesset seats to form the next government.

The Maariv poll showed that 60% of Israelis support a unity government if the election failed to produce a clear winner. 23% said they preferred another election, while 17% said they did not know.