WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a final push for votes by highlighting an endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump, as an election that will determine his political future and shape the course of the war with Iran opened on the 27th local time.
On the morning of the 26th, Netanyahu posted the full text of Trump's endorsement on X, formerly Twitter, along with a Hebrew translation. In the afternoon he cited the endorsement again, writing that voters should cast ballots and work together to remove the Iranian threat. A day earlier, he said Trump was prepared to act again to permanently remove the Iranian threat, adding that this would be possible only if he himself remained in power. The message was aimed at conservative voters who want the Iranian threat eliminated, stressing that such action depends on his staying in office.
It is the first general election in Israel since the Gaza war began with Hamas's surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Polls so far make clear that no single party will win 61 seats, a majority of the 120-member Knesset. Netanyahu's Likud party and Yashar, the largest opposition party led by former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, are each expected to take about 20 seats. Even with support from smaller parties aligned with them, each bloc is projected to reach only around 50 seats.
Once results are in, Israel's president gives the leader of the party with the most votes 28 days, extendable by 14 days, to form a government. A leader who assembles a coalition of at least 61 seats becomes prime minister. Both parties could secure a majority by joining with Arab parties, which hold 14 seats, but both have ruled out such a coalition, pointing to a difficult path to forming a government. If coalition talks fail, a new election must be held early next year, in which case Netanyahu would remain in office as caretaker prime minister. Reuters, citing experts, reported that Arab parties could reach out to Yashar in an effort to remove Netanyahu from power.