Trump backs 'Bibi' on eve of Israeli election as Netanyahu leans into US alliance

With Israel's general election just one day away, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making a final push for votes by putting US President Donald Trump's public endorsement front and center. As Trump issued a series of messages urging Israelis to return Netanyahu to power, the prime minister moved quickly to amplify them, highlighting his close ties with Washington and his hard line on Iran.

According to Reuters and other outlets, Netanyahu shared Trump's social media endorsement posts twice Monday on his X account.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social account Monday that Israelis should "vote for Bibi Netanyahu" — using the prime minister's nickname — adding, "We must finish what we started." He also reattached a pro-Netanyahu post he had published a week earlier.

Netanyahu shared the full text of Trump's endorsement along with a Hebrew translation on his account Monday morning. That afternoon, he quoted Trump's statement that "we stopped the world's largest state sponsor of terror from acquiring nuclear weapons" and urged voters to "go vote and together let's eliminate the Iranian threat."

In a televised address Monday, Netanyahu also emphasized his personal bond with Trump. "President Trump has brought a friendship between the Israeli prime minister and the American president that did not exist before," he said. "President Trump has two more years left in his term, and he is asking you to vote for me."

Netanyahu further argued that Trump is determined to eliminate the Iranian threat entirely — and that only his continued leadership can make that happen. The US-Israel military partnership became the centerpiece of his closing campaign message.

Trump's additional show of support is said to have come at Netanyahu's direct request. Axios reported that Netanyahu had called Trump twice in recent weeks and asked him to express his backing more forcefully.

The opposition wasted no time criticizing Netanyahu's campaign strategy.

Gadi Eisenkot, a centrist former Israeli military chief of staff and one of Netanyahu's main rivals, said he valued Trump's "efforts and commitment to Israel's security" but added that he was "confident Trump will cooperate fully with whatever leader the Israeli people choose" — a pointed suggestion that US support is not contingent on Netanyahu's reelection.

The remark was widely read as a direct rebuttal to Netanyahu's claim that his relationship with Trump is irreplaceable.

Eisenkot also pushed back sharply after Netanyahu posted an AI-generated image Monday showing a massive mushroom cloud rising over Tel Aviv, which the prime minister used to underscore the Iranian nuclear threat.

"Netanyahu is relying on fear, lies and threats," Eisenkot said. "It won't work this time."

As the election approaches, Netanyahu has concentrated his message on the Iranian nuclear threat and his close relationship with Trump. The opposition, meanwhile, is countering his security-focused campaign by insisting that Israel's partnership with the United States does not depend on any single leader.