Trump open to intervening following Netanyahu's "stolen" election claims: "I'll take a look"
Washington DC - President Donald Trump recently suggested that he may intervene in Israel's elections as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims it was "stolen" from his party.
In an interview with Axios, the president – who recently gave the prime minister a glowing endorsement – said that he had received "horror reports" about Netanyahu's chances of winning, but claimed, "He's in pretty good shape now."
When asked if he planned to get involved in an effort to form a Netanyahu-led unity government, Trump said he hadn't thought about it.
"I will take a look," he said.
According to The Independent, current election projections show Netanyahu's Likud party gaining 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, missing the 61 needed for a majority.
Meanwhile, parties representing Arab Israelis are notably expected to win an unprecedented 19 seats.
Trump's remarks came after Netanyahu and Likud shared a statement claiming the election was "stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism and the elimination of the Jewish state through serious criminal offenses of bribery, threats, violence, forgeries, and the use of prohibited software to mobilize voters."
The leader and his party called on authorities to "act harshly and swiftly."
While it's unclear if Trump was aware of Netanyahu's claims at the time, the president has made a habit of pushing "stolen" election claims whenever the results are not to his liking.
Israel police have said they currently have no investigative or intelligence-based evidence to support Netanyahu and Likud's allegations.
Cover photo: JIM WATSON / AFP



