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But polls say Netanyahu and his far-right partners currently lack the majority to secure a new term.   (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://p.dw.com/p/5ONyE%3Fat_medium%3DSocialMedia%26at_campaign%3DFacebook%26at_share_source%3DSharingButton%26at_origin%3DWeb) (External link — share this page with Facebook)      (https://x.com/intent/tweet?source=webclient&text=Israel%3A%20Trump%20endorses%20Netanyahu%20ahead%20of%20elections+https://p.dw.com/p/5ONyE%3Fat_medium%3DSocialMedia%26at_campaign%3DTwitter%26at_share_source%3DSharingButton%26at_origin%3DWeb) (External link — share this page with X / Twitter)      (Show more apps)     (https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://p.dw.com/p/5ONyE%3Fat_medium%3DSocialMedia%26at_campaign%3DReddit%26at_share_source%3DSharingButton%26at_origin%3DWeb) (External link — share this page with Reddit)   (mailto:?body=https://p.dw.com/p/5ONyE%3Fat_medium%3DWebmails%26at_campaign%3DEmail%26at_share_source%3DSharingButton%26at_origin%3DWeb&subject=Israel%3A%20Trump%20endorses%20Netanyahu%20ahead%20of%20elections) (External link — share this page with EMail)   (fb-messenger://share/?link=https://p.dw.com/p/5ONyE%3Fat_medium%3DMessenger%26at_campaign%3DFacebookMessenger%26at_share_source%3DSharingButton%26at_origin%3DWeb) (External link — share this page with Facebook messenger)   (whatsapp://send?text=Israel%3A%20Trump%20endorses%20Netanyahu%20ahead%20of%20elections%20-%20https://p.dw.com/p/5ONyE%3Fat_medium%3DMessenger%26at_campaign%3DWhatsApp%26at_share_source%3DSharingButton%26at_origin%3DWeb) (External link — share this page with Whatsapp)   (https://telegram.me/share/url?url=https://p.dw.com/p/5ONyE%3Fat_medium%3DMessenger%26at_campaign%3DTelegram%26at_share_source%3DSharingButton%26at_origin%3DWeb&text=Israel%3A%20Trump%20endorses%20Netanyahu%20ahead%20of%20elections) (External link — share this page with Telegram)   (https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://p.dw.com/p/5ONyE%3Fat_medium%3DSocialMedia%26at_campaign%3DLinkedIn%26at_share_source%3DSharingButton%26at_origin%3DWeb&title=Israel%3A%20Trump%20endorses%20Netanyahu%20ahead%20of%20elections&source=DW.COM) (External link — share this page with Linkedin)   (sms:?&body=https://p.dw.com/p/5ONyE%3Fat_medium%3DSMS%26at_campaign%3DSMS%26at_share_source%3DSharingButton%26at_origin%3DWeb) (External link — share this page with SMS)    https://p.dw.com/p/5ONyE         (U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House for a meeting) (U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House for a meeting)   US President Donald Trump endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuImage: Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/picture alliance    Advertisement     US President (https://www.dw.com/en/us-president-donald-trump-russia-ukraine-israel-gaza-tariffs-trade-war/t-19434433) Donald Trump has announced his "complete and total" endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister (https://www.dw.com/en/benjamin-netanyahu/t-19234066) Benjamin Netanyahu . Israel will hold parliamentary elections on October 27, with opinion polls suggesting neither Netanyahu nor the opposition will manage to secure the 61 seats needed to form a coalition. "Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu," Trump posted on his Truth Social account. Iran war at center of Trump announcement According to Trump, Netanyahu is a "Great Warrior Prime Minister," also commending him for his role (https://www.dw.com/en/iran-war/t-76168615) in the war against Iran.  "BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!" Trump added. Netanyahu thanked the US leader for his "tremendous support." "Together we will complete the mission," Netanyahu posted on his X account, alluding to the joint campaign by the two countries against (https://www.dw.com/en/iran/t-18996175) Iran . (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel shows an illustration as he describes his concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions during his address to the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters.) Netanyahu has been vocal in his objection to Iran's nuclear programImage: Richard Drew/AP Photo/picture alliance   Trump said the US would be alone in the war against Iran if Netanyahu were not re-elected, also mentioning the chant often sung at events by Iran's Revolutionary Guards that calls for both the US' and Israel's death, also labeling the two countries "the big and small Satans." "If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so," Trump said.  Netanyahu opponent reacts The war between Israel, the US and Iran began in February and resulted in Tehran (https://www.dw.com/en/iran-wars-economic-impact/t-76891279) blocking some global oil supplies through (https://www.dw.com/en/strait-of-hormuz/t-76193780) the Strait of Hormuz.  Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu's main challenger, reacted to Trump's endorsement by saying the Israeli public are the only ones who decide who is the country's next leader. Speaking at an event in Tel Aviv, Eisenkot voiced his appreciation of Trump's "large contribution" to Israel's security. "But Israel is a democratic state," he said, adding that the US administration will learn to work with whichever government the public decides on.  Netanyahu boasts Trump friendship once again This is not the first time Netanyahu's election campaign has invoked Trump's support to augment the Israeli leader's international status. In 2019, Netanyahu's Likud party posted billboards showing the Israeli leader shaking hands with Trump during the latter's first term as US president, as well as with Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing Netanyahu as a leader of a "different league." Netanyahu is the longest serving prime minister in Israel's history. Much of Israeli society is divided on his far-right coalition's role in the failure to foresee and prevent the October 7 terrorist attack by Islamist Palestinian group (https://www.dw.com/en/hamas/t-19034915) Hamas and its affiliates in (https://www.dw.com/en/gaza-strip/t-19074241) Gaza , in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed. Netanyahu has refused to establish a state inquiry with the authority to look into government documents and summon ministers and officials to testify. Instead, the prime minister wants a commission with less authority to see confidential documents and with no authority to force testimonies by the country's leading politicians and officials. (A drone view shows an installation depicting bodies, on the third anniversary of the deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack from Gaza, at a beach in Tel Aviv, Israel) Israeli opposition have been protesting against Benjamin Netanyahu's "failure" to prevent the October 7 attacksImage: Aviv Atlas/REUTERS   Another point of contention is (https://www.dw.com/en/israel-hamas-conflict-in-gaza/t-57547294) Israel's war in Gaza that followed the attack, in which some 74,000 Palestinians have been killed. Despite repeatedly promising a "total victory" after the war began, opposition supporters believe Netanyahu failed to deliver, with Hamas still in charge of many parts of the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu and his coalition partners have also promised to support what they called the "wilful migration" of Gaza residents, while also deepening Israel's hold on its territories in the West Bank, which is largely considered illegal under international law. Other issues at the center of Israel's elections are the conscription of young ultraorthodox men into the military, the cost of living, and Israel's international status. Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez  If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=dw.com) (External link — Preferred Source on Google) Preferred Source on Google   , so you'll always see our verified news firs t.     Netanyahu's final campaign? — Israel heads to the polls (ENGLISH) To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that (https://videojs.com/html5-video-support/) supports HTML5 video     (https://www.dw.com/en/felix-tamsut/person-35924406) (Felix Tamsut) (Felix Tamsut Kommentarbild)  (Felix Tamsut Kommentarbild) (Felix Tamsut Kommentarbild)    (https://www.dw.com/en/felix-tamsut/person-35924406) Felix Tamsut Reporter for DW News (https://twitter.com/@ftamsut) (External link — twitter — @ftamsut)     @ftamsut    Send us your feedback      Your feedback (Close form)           Advertisement         (a-79693698@maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf.html#post-related-content-by-similarity) Skip next section Similar stories      Similar stories (https://www.dw.com/en/gadi-eisenkot-netanyahus-challenger/video-79693306) (Who is Gadi Eisenkot?) 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Conflicts 10/19/2026 October 19, 2026       Show more        (a-79693698@maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf.html#post-related-content-by-thematic-focus-region) Skip next section More on Politics from Middle East      More on Politics from Middle East (https://www.dw.com/en/two-high-ranking-iranian-defectors-give-dw-a-rare-look-into-the-mindset-of-the-regimes-loyal-servants/a-79609734) (How Iran's elite forces 'mold the minds of the young cadets') (Person in silhouette in a room against a dark backdrop)  (Person in silhouette in a room against a dark backdrop) (Person in silhouette in a room against a dark backdrop)     (https://www.dw.com/en/two-high-ranking-iranian-defectors-give-dw-a-rare-look-into-the-mindset-of-the-regimes-loyal-servants/a-79609734) How Iran's elite forces 'mold the minds of the young cadets'  (https://www.dw.com/en/two-high-ranking-iranian-defectors-give-dw-a-rare-look-into-the-mindset-of-the-regimes-loyal-servants/a-79609734) Two high-ranking defectors spoke with DW's investigative unit — and revealed a clandestine circle that plots murder.   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