The US President’s endorsement helped Netanyahu’s performance, the 80-year-old claimed on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in “pretty good shape” following partial election results that point to a closely contested race, Donald Trump has said. Track live updates
“I heard my endorsement made a big difference for Bibi ,” Trump told Axios, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. The US President said he initially received “horror reports” about Netanyahu’s election prospects but added that the Israeli prime minister was now in “pretty good shape” following the latest projections. Trump said he had not yet considered whether to get involved in efforts to form a government led by Netanyahu. “I will take a look,” he said. Their partnership presents Israel with an opportunity to address the threat from Iran, he said earlier.
Netanyahu also spoke of his relationship with Trump during the campaign calling the US president a close ally. Another possibility is that Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister until fresh elections are held. This would allow him to continue overseeing Israel’s national security and foreign policy while political negotiations remain unresolved.
With 93% of the ballots counted, Netanyahu’s bloc opened a lead over the Opposition alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot . That said, neither bloc is on course to secure the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority. Netanyahu’s bloc is projected to win 53 seats, 11 fewer than it currently holds, while Eisenkot’s alliance is on track for 48 seats. Arab parties are projected to secure a record 19 seats,
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to begin consultations with political parties next week before assigning a mandate to either Netanyahu or opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot to form a government.
