President Donald Trump told Israel's public broadcaster Kan on Thursday afternoon that he will likely support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in forthcoming elections, but qualified that he needs to see the challengers and that Netanyahu should be 'more rational.' Vice President JD Vance separately said the emerging US-Iran agreement will benefit the world but that ultimately the US acts in its own interest, and criticized Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich for lacking a concrete alternative proposal.
President Donald Trump told Israeli public broadcaster Kan on Thursday afternoon that he will 'very likely' support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming Israeli elections, but added a condition: he needs to see who the challengers are. 'I have a good relationship with Bibi, but he needs to be more rational,' Trump said, according to the report. The remark, reported by Kan's Amit Segal, narrows Trump's earlier expressed willingness to back Netanyahu. In the same dispatch, Vice President JD Vance addressed the emerging US-Iran agreement, saying it 'will be good for the entire world, but ultimately we look after what is in the American interest.' Vance also directly challenged far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich: 'What exactly is your proposal?' – a question that The Zioneer now reports for the first time.
The thread began Thursday at 17:11 Jerusalem, when Kan first published Trump's conditional endorsement — initially reported as 'likely support, depends who runs.' Within minutes, a second version added the 'more rational' condition. The Zioneer's earlier coverage this week charted the evolution of Trump's public statements on Netanyahu: on Wednesday at 21:44 Jerusalem, Trump described Netanyahu as a 'good guy' who 'gets too excited' and acknowledged a 'small disagreement' over Lebanon; earlier Wednesday at 19:46 Jerusalem, Trump criticized Israel's handling of the Lebanon front. On Tuesday at 13:26 Jerusalem, Trump denied frustration with Netanyahu, calling their relationship 'excellent.' The contrast between those earlier assurances and today's conditional formulation marks a clear shift in tone.
These developments follow a week of rolling US statements. As The Zioneer reported on Tuesday at 06:53 Jerusalem, Vance promoted the US-Iran deal on Fox News, calling it good for Israel. On Monday at 21:19 Jerusalem, Netanyahu acknowledged tactical disagreements with Trump, saying 'even the best families have disagreements.' A Sunday report (16:15 Jerusalem) cited journalist Barak Ravid saying Netanyahu saw Trump's engagement as 'either a chance at another term or the end of his friendship.'
What remains open: Trump explicitly conditioned his endorsement on the slate of challengers, leaving the substance of his eventual backing uncertain. Vance's criticism of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich was delivered without a direct response from the Israeli ministers — no reply has been reported.
3 developments
- DevelopingTrump: Netanyahu will have no choice but to accept any Iran agreement
- ConfirmedCommentators: Trump says Netanyahu endorsed Iran deal; Vance cites Israeli commitment to avoid Beirut strikes
- DevelopingTrump tells Netanyahu Israel should be 'happy' about Iran deal, as it avoids nuclear threat
- DevelopingTrump says Netanyahu's next term is an open question
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