Netanyahu Courts Voters in Final Push Ahead of Election, Touting 'Trump's Endorsement'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a last-minute push to win over voters, touting U.S. President Donald Trump's public endorsement a day before the general election.

Reuters-Yonhap News

On Oct. 26 (local time), Netanyahu shared two posts on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) featuring Trump's endorsement and appealed to voters for their support.

On Oct. 25, Trump posted on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns: "Vote for Bibi Netanyahu as prime minister. We must finish what we started." "Bibi" is Netanyahu's nickname. Trump also attached again an endorsement post he had published a week earlier.

Netanyahu shared Trump's endorsement after translating it into Hebrew. He also quoted Trump's remarks highlighting his efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, urging voters to "go vote, and together we will eliminate the Iranian threat."

In a televised address on Oct. 25, Netanyahu also emphasized his close relationship with Trump. "President Trump has brought about an unprecedented friendship between the Israeli prime minister and the U.S. president," Netanyahu said. "He has two more years in office, and he is urging you to vote for me." He went on to argue that Trump was determined to completely eliminate the Iranian threat and that he needed to return to power to make that happen.

Earlier, U.S. political news outlet Axios reported that Netanyahu had spoken with Trump twice in the past three days and asked for further public support. However, Trump told reporters on Oct. 26 that he had not discussed with Netanyahu any request for additional support.

Netanyahu's leading challenger, centrist former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, said on social media: "I greatly appreciate President Trump's efforts and commitment to Israel's security, and am confident that he will work fully with any leader chosen by the people."

Eisenkot criticized Netanyahu for posting an AI-generated image of a mushroom cloud rising over Tel Aviv while emphasizing Iran's nuclear threat. "He is relying on fearmongering, lies and threats," Eisenkot said. "It won't work this time."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.