Trump advisors see opportunity in ‘Israeli’ government without Netanyahu: report

Some of US President Donald Trump’s closest advisers see potential benefits for his Middle East agenda if ‘Israeli’ voters elect a government led by someone other than Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report by Axios.

Trump formally endorsed Netanyahu ahead of ‘Israel’s’ October 27 election after weeks of hesitation, describing the relationship in familiar terms.

One Trump adviser told Axios that Netanyahu is “the devil he knows,” noting that Trump has never worked with another ‘Israeli’ prime minister and does not personally know the other candidates.

The endorsement was framed by some US officials as a win-win: a Netanyahu victory would give Trump leverage to seek concessions, while a loss would still leave any new ‘Israeli’ leaders motivated to maintain strong ties with Washington.

Many of Trump’s top aides opposed the public endorsement, arguing the president should stay out of the ‘Israeli’ contest.

Vice President JD Vance declined to follow Trump’s lead, telling reporters: “I’m not attacking Bibi Netanyahu. I’m not endorsing Bibi Netanyahu. I think the president’s endorsement is ultimately what matters.”

Vance and other senior officials grew disillusioned with Netanyahu during the recent war with Iran, according to sources familiar with their views; they believe Netanyahu’s pre-war assessments to the White House were mistaken and question whether he remains the ideal partner for Trump’s regional goals.

Behind the scenes, frustration has built over several months on multiple fronts.

Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have expressed irritation at Netanyahu’s reluctance to advance implementation of the president’s Gaza peace plan.

Trump’s envoy Tom Barrack has raised similar concerns about the Netanyahu government’s approach to Syria and continued ‘Israeli’ military operations there.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s team, while maintaining a better working relationship, believes ‘Israel’ could do more to strengthen Lebanon’s government and is frustrated by Netanyahu’s failure to curb settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.

Some US officials argue that a new ‘Israeli’ government without Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners could prove easier to work with on Trump’s broader diplomatic priorities.

Those priorities include fully implementing the Gaza plan, securing deals involving ‘Israel’ with Lebanon and Syria, and ultimately reaching a historic ‘Israeli’-Saudi normalization agreement. Progress on those fronts, officials say, will depend in part on who governs ‘Israel’ and what kind of coalition emerges from the vote.

Final pre-election polls released Friday by three major Hebrew television networks projected Netanyahu’s bloc winning just 50 seats in the 120-member Knesset—well short of a majority—while former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc was projected at 52 to 56 seats.

Neither side appears to have a clear path to the 61 seats needed to form a government, raising the possibility of political deadlock, a minority government, or even another election with Netanyahu remaining as caretaker.