The party of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected speculation that he might not run in Israel\u2019s election this fall, following an offhand comment by U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, ABC correspondent Jonathan Karl tweeted<\/a> that Trump had told him he was unsure if Netanyahu wanted to press forward in the elections.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s had an amazing career,\u201d Trump said, according to Karl. \u201cDoes he want to continue? Because, you know, he\u2019s a wartime prime minister. We will very shortly win the war one way or the other, and you know he\u2019s a wartime prime minister.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu has been prime minister for more than 15 of the last 17 years, losing power only briefly in 2021 and 2022. Israel\u2019s current wars began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, triggering regional conflict that has grown to include a joint U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s reported comments left some wondering whether he knew something they did not, amid polling suggesting that Netanyahu will struggle to secure enough votes to put together a governing coalition after elections this fall. Could Trump know that Netanyahu is considering suspending his already-active campaign? Or could Trump, who this week told the BBC<\/a> that Netanyahu does anything the U.S. president tells him to, be planning to order his Israeli counterpart to stand down amid growing anti-Israel sentiment in the United States?<\/p>\n Netanyahu\u2019s Likud party soon demolished the idea. \u201cPrime Minister Netanyahu will run in the upcoming elections \u2014 and with God\u2019s help, he will win,\u201d the party posted<\/a> Wednesday on X.<\/p>\n