Jerusalem [Israel], October 28: US President Donald Trump hopes to see an Israeli governing coalition formed without right-wing ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
The Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday, citing news outlet Walla, that American sources indicated that Trump views settler violence as a direct obstacle to implementing his broader regional strategy.
While Trump's advisers have been briefed on the initial exit poll results following the Israeli elections, the US president has not yet offered official public comments regarding the outcome.
Trump Credits Endorsement For Netanyahu's Performance
Earlier on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump took credit for the come-from-behind performance of Likud Party boss and incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while the counting of votes was still on.
Trump quoted Irving C. Schwartz's observation, which claimed that Trump's endorsement had shifted the election's momentum.
Taking to Truth Social, the President quoted Schwartz, who said, “When President Trump endorsed Bibi Netanyahu, the whole tide turned, and now, rather than a decisive defeat for a Great Prime Minister, it looks like a big come-from-behind stalemate, or even a WIN for Netanyahu. It all took place AFTER the Endorsement by President Trump, who only wants what is good for the Middle East, Israel, and the United States of America!”
Trump Claims Endorsement Helped Netanyahu
Earlier, Trump was asked by reporters about the Israeli election after attending a rally in Texas, and he claimed that the endorsement had helped Netanyahu.
“From exit polls, I’m hearing (Netanyahu) was doing very well. I think when the endorsement went out, it had helped him a lot,” Trump said.
Exit Polls Show Tight Knesset Race
The race for the Knesset has tightened dramatically as polling figures continue to shift across the board. Pollster Direct Polls projected 55 seats for the Netanyahu bloc, 49 for the Gadi Eisenkot-led opposition bloc and 16 for the Arab parties. In its updated exit poll, Kan 11, an Israeli state-owned, free-to-air television channel, projects that the pro-Netanyahu bloc and the anti-Netanyahu bloc each hold 51 seats, compared with 50 and 52 seats, respectively, in its previous poll at 11:04 pm (local time), as reported by The Times of Israel.
Another poll from agency Filber and presented by Channel 14 projected 60 seats for the Netanyahu bloc, 43 for the opposition and 17 for the Arab parties.
The latest seat adjustments show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party moving to 27 seats from 25, the left-wing alliance The Democrats shifting to nine seats from 10, and the far-right Otzma Yehudit party moving to six seats from seven.
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Ra'am Party Holds Coalition Significance
Amid these shifting parliamentary numbers, Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra’am party, has indicated that he is in contact with representatives from both the pro- and anti-Netanyahu factions after exit polls indicated that neither camp holds a clear majority to form a government.
He noted that "currently there aren't numbers for a government", pointing out that his party's projected seven seats leave the broader opposition bloc two seats short of the 61-seat threshold required to form a coalition.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
