US President Donald Trump (L) holds hands and speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025. (Credit: Saul Loeb / POOL / AFP)
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are each facing a general election, a week apart. With the war against Iran still unresolved, the elections could undermine the legitimacy of the two leaders, who launched the war together and now appear intent on bringing it to an end together as well, either by resuming attacks or imposing an agreement. As Israel’s Oct. 27 election approaches, Trump has finally thrown his support behind Netanyahu, turning their strategic partnership into a personal electoral pact. “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. Behind this unusual move lies a transactional view of the alliance: the outgoing prime minister is tasked with carrying out, against Iran,...
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are each facing a general election, a week apart. With the war against Iran still unresolved, the elections could undermine the legitimacy of the two leaders, who launched the war together and now appear intent on bringing it to an end together as well, either by resuming attacks or imposing an agreement. As Israel’s Oct. 27 election approaches, Trump has finally thrown his support behind Netanyahu, turning their strategic partnership into a personal electoral pact. “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. Behind this unusual move lies a transactional view of the alliance: the outgoing prime minister is tasked with carrying out, against...
