Some advisers to US President Donald Trump believe it could be easier for Washington to implement its Middle East policy under a new Israeli government without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners. Axios reported this, citing US officials, as relayed by FinFly.
According to the publication, over the past six months, dissatisfaction with Netanyahu has grown within Trump's circle over a range of regional issues. In particular, special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have expressed frustration with the pace of implementing the US plan to stabilize the situation in the Gaza Strip. Trump's envoy Tom Barrack is concerned about Israel's actions in Syria, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team believe Israeli authorities could do more to strengthen Lebanon's government and curb settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
According to polls published ahead of the elections by three major Israeli TV channels, Netanyahu's bloc may win about 50 seats in the 120-seat Knesset — significantly less than the 61 mandates needed to form a parliamentary majority. The opposition bloc led by former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot is projected to win 52–56 seats.
