Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party has canceled a planned election campaign highlighting the premier’s close ties to US President Donald Trump, after assessing that the messaging will not help Netanyahu’s chances at the upcoming election, the i24 news outlet reports.
According to the report, the decision to scrap the campaign was made several days ago as Trump finalized the terms of a deal with Iran that many in Israel find deeply undesirable.
With the deal in mind, Likud officials assessed that Netanyahu’s close ties with the US president would not bring in new voters or increase his chances at the polling booth later this year.
Trump has also been increasingly publicly critical of Netanyahu, confirming in an interview earlier this month that he called the Israeli leader “fucking crazy” during a phone call. Then, earlier this week, he reportedly told Axios that he had informed Netanyahu he has “no fucking judgment” following an Israeli strike on Beirut.
Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.
Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;
Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.
As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
