Likud Figures: Netanyahu Loses if Trump Loses

An Israeli news outlet is citing “senior Likud officials” as worrying that party leader and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu could suffer if US President Donald Trump loses the White House. “Now they will tell Netanyahu: Your friend is gone, against all odds, so you will go too,” the Hebrew-language news site Zman Yisrael quoted one party official as saying. During the past four years, Netanyahu is seen as having developed particularly close ties to Trump – perhaps too close – at the expense of good relations with Democrats. The news site quoted someone it identified as a Likud lawmaker as adding: “We took a hit. Nicky Haley will not be there for us anymore.” The deputy was referring to Trump’s first ambassador to the United Nations, who was seen as being a major defender of Israel in the world body. In Israel, Netanyahu is under siege for refusing to step down during his corruption trial and for the way his government has been handling the coronavirus pandemic. It is also no secret that some in the Likud have been unhappy with his leadership and are preparing for the “day after” the longtime party leader leaves the political scene.