PELONI: As I noted yesterday, it would be more useful for Washington’s Peace Processor elites to have a more compliant Israeli leadership in Jerusalem. Recall that this was true under Biden as Eisenkot acted to support Biden’s policy of “Don’t!” in opposition to Netanyahu’s determined resolve to seize Rafah, something which the Trump administration is still trying to reverse with its proposed 20 Point Plan re-envisioned as the 15 Point Road Map, which ignores the inevitability of Israel’s barest of security demands be sacrificed to support Washington’s diplomatic expediency. While Trump’s endorsement of Netanyahu could not have been more forceful and complete, it is clear that those surrounding Trump have other interests in mind, and Vance literally gave voice to this fact upon what appeared to be a sincere, spontaneous and startling effort to contrast his sentiments with Trump’s endorsement. While Trump remains the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House, he has surrounded himself with allies and confidants whose policy focus provides a high contrast with what would be in Israel’s interest, and whose comments have been highly critical of Israel. Not least of these include Witkoff, Kushner, and most certainly Barrack, and of course Tucker Carlson’s friend, VP Vance, who stands one heartbeat, and potentially one election, away from the US presidency.
Also, Axios is reporting that “Pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 was the major outlier, projecting 60 seats for his bloc and 30 for Likud in a poll earlier this week.” This number of 60 is also cited in the report below, but Channel 14 shows the Right bloc with 62 seats, and this has been consistent throughout their last 3 polls, and similar to the 4 weekly polls before that.
Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot currently appears to have a clear path to the 61 seats needed for a government.
By Vered Weiss | World Israel News | Oct 25, 2026
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Some of President Donald Trump’s senior advisers believe an Israeli government led by someone other than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could make it easier to pursue parts of Trump’s Middle East agenda after Tuesday’s election, U.S. officials told Axios.
Trump endorsed Netanyahu on Sunday after weeks of hesitation, but many of his closest advisers opposed the move because they believed he should stay out of the election, sources familiar with the discussions said.
“He’s the devil he knows,” one Trump adviser said of Trump’s view of Netanyahu.
Vice President Vance declined to follow Trump’s endorsement this week. “I’m not attacking Bibi Netanyahu. I’m not endorsing Bibi Netanyahu. I think the president’s endorsement is ultimately what matters,” Vance told reporters.
Sources familiar with their thinking said Vance and other senior officials became disillusioned with Netanyahu during the war with Iran and believe his pre-war assessments to the White House were mistaken.
Other disagreements involve Trump’s regional diplomatic priorities. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been frustrated by Netanyahu’s reluctance to advance Trump’s Gaza peace plan, while envoy Tom Barrack has concerns about Israel’s approach to Damascus and continued military operations in Syria.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team have a better relationship with Netanyahu but believe Israel could do more to strengthen Lebanon’s government and curb settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
Trump also faces a decision after the Israeli election and U.S. midterms over whether to join Netanyahu in another major military operation against Iran. Netanyahu wants to move forward, while Trump also wants to pursue agreements involving Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia.
Friday’s final pre-election polls from three major Israeli television networks projected Netanyahu’s bloc winning 50 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared with 52 to 56 for former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc. Another 14 to 16 seats were projected for two Arab Israeli parties.
Pro-Netanyahu Channel 14, however, projected 60 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc earlier this week.
Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot currently appears to have a clear path to the 61 seats needed for a government.
If neither succeeds, Israel could face another election, leaving Netanyahu as caretaker prime minister.
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