White House views Netanyahu's pre-election lobbying as a 'sign of desperation' — Axios

The White House on Netanyahu's lobbying

The White House views the intensive lobbying by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking support for his campaign, as a 'sign of desperation' ahead of Tuesday's parliamentary elections. The American website Axios reported this on Sunday, citing a US source familiar with the situation. According to the outlet, officials interpreted the 'aggressive' appeals as evidence that the Israeli leader believes he is trailing in the election race.

Calls to Trump and the picture before the vote

According to Axios, Netanyahu spoke twice over three days with US President Donald Trump, urging him to reinforce the support voiced last week and offering specific wording, and also gave phone interviews to Israeli journalists. The prime minister faces a difficult contest against opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot. Final TV polls published on Friday show that the prime minister's coalition falls noticeably short of a majority in parliament.

What it means

The situation matters because the elections are already on Tuesday, and the White House position described by Axios points to a cooling in relations between the Trump administration and the Israeli prime minister — even though Trump himself, according to the outlet, already publicly endorsed Netanyahu last week. For voters and observers, the final polls remain the practical benchmark: they show that the current coalition may fall short of the seats needed for a majority, meaning a difficult government-formation process is likely. The data are based on a single anonymous Axios source, and the publication contains no official confirmation from the White House or Netanyahu's circle.