White House Staff Prepare for Opposition Government in Israel
Internal reports indicate senior US aides are ready to pivot diplomacy if Benjamin Netanyahu loses the October 27 vote, amid growing polling deficits and administration fractures.
By Gabriela Flores ·
Tensions within the White House over Israel strategy have intensified as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a weakening polling position ahead of the October 27 election. US officials told Axios that senior advisers to President Donald Trump are optimistic about the prospect of governing with Netanyahu’s political rivals should the incumbent lose the upcoming vote.
The administration is split on how to handle the Israeli race. One Trump adviser described Netanyahu as the devil the president knows, implying a preference for the known quantity despite political risks. Many of the president's closest aides reportedly opposed his earlier decision to endorse the prime minister, arguing that the US should remain neutral in the campaign.
Vice President JD Vance addressed the division this week, declining to personally back the prime minister. Vance stated that he was not attacking nor endorsing Netanyahu, but that the president's endorsement was the factor that ultimately mattered to voters.
Friction has also emerged over regional military operations. US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack criticized the Netanyahu government's approach to Syria, specifically following Israeli strikes on a base in the northern Idlib province. Barrack called the attack an unnecessary escalation that did not advance regional stability.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team maintain a stronger relationship with the prime minister but have expressed frustration over specific policy areas. They believe Israel could do more to strengthen Lebanon's government and have voiced dissatisfaction with what they view as a lack of action by Netanyahu to curb settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
The diplomatic shift comes as recent data suggests a changing political balance in Israel. A Maariv poll released before the vote showed the opposition bloc widening its lead to 54 seats, while Netanyahu's bloc dropped to 48. The survey found that 60 percent of respondents preferred a unity government if the election failed to produce a clear majority, compared to 23 percent who favored another election.
In a head-to-head matchup for the prime ministerial post, Benny Gantz's party leader Eisenkot led Netanyahu with 49 percent support against 41 percent for the incumbent. Among those who supported a unity government, 33 percent wanted a candidate from the opposition bloc to lead it, while 19 percent preferred Netanyahu.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
