White House Staff Draft Contingency Plans for New Israeli Partner

Advisers to President Donald Trump are preparing to engage with the political opposition in Israel should Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lose the election scheduled for October 27. US officials told Axios that the White House views a change in leadership as an opportunity to reshape diplomatic ties, moving away from the current administration's specific dynamic with the incumbent government.

Tensions within the White House have grown over the president's decision to explicitly back Netanyahu. Several of his closest aides argued that the United States should have remained neutral in the Israeli race. One adviser described the current arrangement to Axios, stating, "[Netanyahu] is the devil [Trump] knows." This internal friction has prompted staff to develop contingency plans for governing with a potential new Israeli partner.

Vice President JD Vance adopted a more cautious public stance this week, declining to offer his own explicit endorsement. He told reporters that he was neither attacking nor endorsing Netanyahu, noting that the president's support was the definitive factor in the race. Vance's comments align with a broader effort among some senior staff to manage the political fallout of the presidential endorsement.

Friction over policy extends to regional security issues. Ambassador Tom Barrack criticized the Netanyahu government's military operations in Syria, specifically strikes on a base in the Idlib province. Barrack called the attack an "unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability," signaling a rift between the State Department and the Israeli defense establishment.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team have maintained a functional relationship with the prime minister but expressed frustration over domestic Israeli politics. According to the report, Rubio's staff believes Israel could do more to bolster the Lebanese government. They also voiced dissatisfaction with what they perceive as a failure by Netanyahu's government to curb settler attacks in the West Bank.

The strategic shift coincides with a weakening polling position for the prime minister. A recent Maariv survey indicates the opposition bloc has widened its lead to 54 seats, while Netanyahu's coalition stands at 48. The data suggests a slim margin of victory for the challengers heading into the vote.

The same poll reveals public preferences for coalition governance. Sixty percent of respondents favored a unity government if the election results are inconclusive, while 23 percent preferred a second election. In a direct matchup for the premiership, Benny Gantz, identified as Eisenkot in the text, led Netanyahu with 49 percent support against 41 percent for the incumbent.