Israeli voters vote on Tuesday (the 27th) after the American president, Donald Trump, asked for votes for Benjamin Netanyahu twice. The U.S. leader has been tying the re-election of the Israeli prime minister to the resumption of the war against Iran, which the two countries launched in February.
The first endorsement came on October 18, in a post on the Truth Social network. In it, Trump called Netanyahu a “great warrior-prime minister and an even greater partner for peace.” On Sunday (the 25th), Trump returned to the charge with a straightforward plea: “Vote for Netanyahu to be prime minister,” he said.
The main opponent of Netanyahu, Gadi Eisenkot, former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, avoided confronting the American president. He called Trump a friend of Israel and said he expects cooperation with any elected government, but rejected interference. “The only ones who will decide are the citizens of Israel,” he said. Today’s election is the first since Hezbollah attacked Israeli territory in October 2023.
Iran, the West Bank, Gaza, and Palestine
The war began on February 28, with joint attacks by the United States and Israel that killed the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. The attacks are paused, but Trump has already promised to resume attacks under the framework of the U.S. midterm elections, scheduled for next Tuesday (the 3rd).
A Netanyahu victory could change the tone more than the direction of the warlike undertaking against Tehran. Regarding the Palestinian issue, the main axis revolves around the creation of a Palestinian state. Neither of the two favorites accepts discussing the topic, and Eisenkot has already declared open opposition to the proposal.
Netanyahu and Eisenkot, however, diverge on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. A Netanyahu victory would reinforce the influence of ministers such as Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, supporters of the expansion of settlements in places such as the West Bank.
Eisenkot diverges in the method. Although he supports the existence of settlements, the opposition candidate argues that these structures, which face questions from the international community for violating international law, must be in conformity with Israeli law. In practice, the candidate proposes banning settlements built without authorization.
The repercussions of Tuesday’s election result are also expected to be felt in Jordan and Egypt, which have already rejected any Israeli policy that could force the displacement of Palestinians into their territories.
