Trump Advisors Optimistic About Working With Netanyahu's Rivals If He Loses Election

U.S. officials told Axios that advisors to President Donald Trump are optimistic about the prospect of working with opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he lose the upcoming election. Trump had declared his support for Netanyahu on Tuesday, following weeks of hesitation. Axios noted that Trump has never dealt with any Israeli prime minister other than Netanyahu and does not personally know any of the other candidates. One Trump advisor was quoted as saying, "Netanyahu is the devil Trump knows." Many of Trump's closest advisors reportedly opposed his decision to back Netanyahu, believing the president should have stayed out of Israeli elections. Conversely, Vice President J.D. Vance declined to endorse Netanyahu when asked about the election this week, stating, "I'm not attacking Bibi Netanyahu, nor am I endorsing him. I think the President's endorsement is what matters ultimately." U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack expressed concerns regarding the Netanyahu government's approach to Syria and ongoing Israeli military operations there. Following Israeli airstrikes targeting a base in Idlib province, Barrack described the attack as "an unnecessary escalation that does not serve regional stability." Axios also reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team, despite maintaining good relations with the prime minister, believe Israel could do more to strengthen the Lebanese government. They also expressed dissatisfaction with Netanyahu's failure to take sufficient action to curb settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank. This report comes as Netanyahu's poll numbers decline ahead of the election. The latest poll by Maariv showed the opposition bloc widening its lead to 54 seats, while Netanyahu's bloc dropped to 48 seats. The poll also indicated that 60% of respondents prefer a national unity government if the October 27 election does not yield a clear majority, while 23% favored new elections and 17% were undecided. Among those favoring a unity government, 33% wanted an opposition bloc candidate to lead it, while 19% preferred Netanyahu to lead. Another 8% supported a unity government regardless of who heads it.