Likud reportedly scraps election campaign highlighting Netanyahu’s close ties to Trump in wake of US-Iran deal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has scrapped a planned election campaign centered on the premier’s close relationship with US President Donald Trump after concluding the message would not help Netanyahu in the upcoming election, according to i24 News.
The report says the decision was made several days ago as Trump finalized the terms of a deal with Iran that many in Israel oppose. In light of the deal, Likud officials determined that emphasizing Netanyahu’s ties to Trump would neither attract new voters nor improve his electoral prospects later this year.
This comes as a new Kantar poll found that President Trump’s approval in Israel has seen a dramatic reversal over the past three weeks, shifting from +23 to -23 — a 46-point decline.
Trump has also become increasingly critical of Netanyahu. Earlier this month, he confirmed in an interview that he called the Israeli leader “fucking crazy” during a phone call. This week, Axios reported that Trump told Netanyahu he had “no f——— judgment” following an Israeli strike on Beirut.
