Trump Cuts Ties With Netanyahu Ahead Of Israeli Election

Donald Trump walks a fine line with Benjamin Netanyahu as the Israeli election approaches on October 27. The gap between their long history and today's cautious behavior is stark. Washington, DC – When Donald Trump first took office in 2017, he delivered exactly what right-wing allies wanted. His foreign policy propped up Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In return, the Israeli leader painted himself as the guardian of America's most important alliance abroad. He survived public criticism and leaked friction from White House sources without a single major shift in US policy.

But now, silence is louder than words. Trump has offered no clear support for the Likud party or its coalition ahead of the vote. They face pressure from Gadi Eisenkot and his Yashar party, plus an opposition bloc trying to rise. Yousef Munayyer, head of the Palestine/Israel programme at the Arab Center Washington DC, sees a deliberate pullback.

"He seems to be keeping greater distance from it than you would think," Munayyer said in a recent interview with Al Jazeera. He pointed to Trump's history of backing right-wing partners and their past closeness as reasons for this change. The political air has shifted.

During a recent Time magazine chat, the US president refused to back Netanyahu directly. Yet he defended him against claims made after the October 7 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. When asked about Gadi Eisenkot specifically, Trump admitted, "I don't hear bad things." That sounds like neutrality, not praise.

Actions speak louder than words when it comes to Israel and Netanyahu. From 2017 to 2021, the first term saw the embassy move to Jerusalem. The US recognized annexation of the Golan Heights. The 2015 Iran nuclear deal fell apart. Arab nations signed normalization deals to skip over the Palestine issue entirely.

Now in his second term starting January 2025, Trump pours even more lethal weapons into Gaza amid ongoing genocide. He tightened restrictions on the International Criminal Court. And he launched a war with Iran that shook global markets. He also pushed for pardons in Netanyahu's corruption trial and hosted him at least seven times since returning to the White House last year. No other world leader gets that much attention.

Discord over blocking peace efforts or ending the war with Iran never turned into real policy changes. Michael Omer-Man, Israel-Palestine director at the DAWN think tank in Washington DC, calls it a performance piece for public eyes. He noted that most details learned about their bond come from choices made by Trump himself.

"I don't think that Trump's abandoned Netanyahu," Omer-Man told Al Jazeera. But he left open the possibility of a big US move to help Netanyahu in the final days of the race. The message is clear: trust has changed, and so have the stakes for everyone involved.

Trump sees the election stakes differently than others might expect. Omer-Man noted this realist outlook clearly. He has watched preferred candidates lose elections in various countries just as often as they win them.

Eisenkot promises a moderate shift away from Netanyahu's style, especially regarding settler violence in the West Bank. Yet these changes mostly aim to please European leaders and the global public. They do little for relations with Washington, which remain permissive already.

"I don't think we would see a whole lot of change vis-a-vis the US," he said. "There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of friction in the relationship." An Eisenkot government might stop seizing every hilltop or allowing more aid into Gaza. But they will not reverse steps already taken.

Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, points to shifting dynamics between Trump and Netanyahu. Trump's silence reflects a split within his own administration. People like Vice President JD Vance oppose Netanyahu's push for US strikes on Iran. This mirrors wider Republican divides as midterms approach.

Polls show high support for Israel among Republicans, but that number has dropped recently. Confidence in Netanyahu has also fallen within the party. Meanwhile, views of Trump's influence have changed in Israel. Critics now claim US pressure constrained operations in Lebanon and nearly killed a June deal to pause the Iran war.

An Israeli Democracy Institute poll from June shows only 44 percent of Jewish Israelis view Israel's security as a top priority for Trump. That number dropped from 61 percent in March, right after the US and Israel launched their war on Iran.

Netanyahu avoided billboards boasting his bond with Trump this cycle. This marks a sharp turn from past years. Zonszein explained he now highlights foes instead of friends. He features Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on his campaign materials.

Netanyahu is drawing lines between enemies and allies in a bold new way.