tel aviv. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is once again hoping for the support of US President Donald Trump for election victory. According to media reports, amid projections of lagging in pre-election surveys, Netanyahu spoke to Trump on phone twice in the last three days, seeking to increase his support. However, Netanyahu's Likud party has denied these claims. The White House also did not respond to questions asked in this regard.
According to the Axios report, an American and an Israeli source with knowledge of the matter have informed that Netanyahu has sought additional support. According to the American source, the White House saw this effort as a 'sign of desperation' from Netanyahu. Reports indicate that the Israeli Prime Minister is worried about his position being weakened in the election contest.
However, Likud party spokesperson Neta Molcho has rejected these claims. He said the Prime Minister had not sought his help in recent days or before Trump's supporting statement.
Trump has already supported Netanyahu
US President Donald Trump has already given a statement in support of Netanyahu on the social media platform Truth Social. He warned Israeli voters that Netanyahu's election defeat could affect relations between America and Israel.
According to the Axios report, despite this, Netanyahu requested Trump to provide more support. An Israeli source said that Netanyahu had suggested that Trump talk to Israeli journalists on the phone and express his support for the election campaign.
During this time, Netanyahu had also talked to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on phone. However, after this conversation, no support message was issued by Prime Minister Modi regarding Israel's elections.
Have shown closeness with foreign leaders before also
Even before this, Netanyahu has been giving prominence to his relations with foreign leaders during the election campaign. In the last elections, posters with photographs of Prime Minister Modi, Donald Trump and other foreign leaders were put up on Israeli buildings. Through these photographs, he gave space to his relations with international leaders in the election campaign.
Netanyahu's coalition appears far from majority in surveys
A major reason for Netanyahu's concern are the projections of pre-election surveys. According to the report, three surveys have projected his coalition falling short of the majority mark in the 120-member Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
In these surveys, Netanyahu's coalition is expected to get about 50 seats. This is 17 less than the number of seats of his current alliance. His main party Likud, which currently has 32 seats, is projected to be reduced to about 20 seats.
However, a poll by pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 shows a different picture. In this survey released at the beginning of the week, Netanyahu's coalition was projected to get 60 seats and Likud party to get 30 seats.
In this way, differences are visible in different surveys regarding the prospects of Netanyahu's alliance. The performance of his party and allies in the elections will decide whether he remains in power or not.