Trump advisers reportedly favor alternative to Netanyahu in Israel

The news website Axios has reported that some advisers to former US President Donald Trump believe that forming a new Israeli government led by someone other than Benjamin Netanyahu could better serve Trump's agenda in the Middle East.

According to Axios, citing US officials, the advisers see a potential change in Israeli leadership as an opportunity to advance the American administration's plans in the region, even though Trump has not previously worked with any other Israeli prime minister and does not have direct contact with other candidates.

The American website noted that Israel's three main television networks released their final polls before the elections on Friday, all showing that Netanyahu's coalition has failed to secure a parliamentary majority.

All three forecasts predicted that Netanyahu's bloc would win only 50 seats in the 120-member Knesset, which is 17 fewer than his current coalition holds. Netanyahu's Likud party, which currently has 32 seats, was projected to win just 20 seats.

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Relations between Trump and Netanyahu have seen ups and downs in recent months. Trump has criticized Netanyahu in private conversations, blaming him for security failures in preventing the October 7 attacks and questioning whether Netanyahu is harming Israel's international image.

Trump has previously explained his reasons for supporting the Israeli prime minister in the elections scheduled for October 27, stating that their good relationship and cooperation in confronting Iran led him to announce his endorsement, despite disagreements between them in recent months.