Trump Team Quietly Opens Channels to Israeli Opposition Figures

According to a Channel 12 report, with Israel’s election just four months away, the Trump administration has begun discreet outreach to senior opposition figures, especially Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett, amid speculation about a post-Netanyahu era in Washington.

People in the administration who are described as very close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are reportedly working in recent weeks to establish informal contact channels with leading opposition figures. The move is unusual, especially because until now it was mainly opposition politicians trying, with little success, to get closer to Netanyahu’s inner circle in Washington.

Officials familiar with the matter say the White House is increasingly concerned about the direction of the Israeli government. They argue that the presence of extreme figures in the coalition is making it harder to advance diplomatic initiatives that President Donald Trump wants, alongside a trust crisis that has deepened recently.

At the same time, the administration sees a real possibility of political change in Israel after the upcoming vote. For that reason, it is now seeking working relationships and trust with key opposition personalities to keep communication open if power shifts. Even so, Washington is not signaling any replacement for Netanyahu, and Trump continues to support him while broadening the U.S. network of contacts in Israel ahead of the election.