White House officials reportedly view Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s repeated efforts to secure additional public support from US President Donald Trump as a “sign of desperation” ahead of Israel’s parliamentary elections on Tuesday.
According to a report published by Axios on Sunday, Netanyahu has intensified his efforts to obtain further backing from Trump as he faces a difficult electoral contest against opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot.
Citing a US source familiar with the discussions, Axios reported that administration officials interpreted Netanyahu’s “aggressive” outreach as an indication that the Israeli prime minister believes he is falling behind in the election race.
The report said Netanyahu had spoken with Trump twice within three days, urging the US president to strengthen the endorsement he issued last week.
Netanyahu also reportedly suggested specific wording for Trump’s statements and proposed that the American president participate in telephone interviews with Israeli journalists to reinforce his support.
The requests were reportedly viewed by White House officials as an unusually forceful effort to secure American political backing in the final days before the vote.
The reported lobbying comes as Netanyahu faces a closely contested election against Eisenkot.
Final television opinion polls released on Friday indicated that Netanyahu’s coalition was projected to fall well short of securing a parliamentary majority.
The findings have heightened attention on the prime minister’s efforts to consolidate support before Tuesday’s vote.
The Axios report suggests that some officials in Washington interpret Netanyahu’s repeated requests for Trump’s intervention as reflecting concern over his electoral position.