Trump Backs Netanyahu as Gaza Reconstruction Claim Surfaces

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he hadn’t promised President Donald Trump anything in return for Trump’s endorsement ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 elections. Diplomatic sources said the endorsement could benefit both leaders, and Netanyahu might now owe Trump a political favor, whether or not they struck a deal.

The Endorsement and the Denial

Netanyahu denied reports of a possible understanding involving the Gaza Strip. Channel 13 reported Sunday that Netanyahu had agreed the previous week to allow partial reconstruction of Gaza. In an interview with Channel 14, Netanyahu said he hadn’t struck a deal with Washington.

Channel 13 remains the source of the reconstruction report. The article gives no description of the proposed work, its terms, or the areas or projects it would cover. Netanyahu’s denial addresses the allegation of a deal with Washington, but offers no further details about the reported partial reconstruction.

For several days, Netanyahu’s associates had kept in close contact with the White House, diplomatic sources said, pressing for Trump’s endorsement. The sources said the endorsement could serve both leaders politically. They also said Netanyahu might owe Trump a political favor, whether or not the two had struck a deal.

Trump’s Comments on the Election

On Oct. 15, Newsmax interviewer Rob Finnerty asked Trump whether he planned to get involved in Israel’s elections. Trump replied, “Well, they’d like me to be. Yeah, they’d like me to be.” The account says Trump stopped short of endorsing Netanyahu in that interview, then endorsed him on Sunday.

Finnerty also asked Trump whether he trusted Netanyahu. Trump replied, “I don’t trust anybody, honestly.” The exchange records Trump’s answer but doesn’t say what prompted the remark or identify a particular dispute between the two leaders.

Trump also said he and Netanyahu had enjoyed “a very successful partnership” in military matters. The account provides no further detail about which military matters he meant or any specific agreement connected to that partnership. It doesn’t report a military commitment as part of the alleged Gaza arrangement.

What the Account Establishes

The report describes an endorsement, a denial, Channel 13’s account of partial Gaza reconstruction, and diplomatic sources’ account of contacts between Netanyahu’s associates and the White House. It doesn’t establish that Netanyahu promised Trump anything or say that the leaders reached an agreement. Netanyahu denied striking a deal with Washington, while diplomatic sources left open whether one had been made.

The account also offers no statement from Trump about the reported Gaza reconstruction and no details of conditions attached to his endorsement. The election-related dates it gives are Oct. 15 for the Newsmax interview and Oct. 27 for Israel’s elections; it identifies the endorsement only as having occurred on Sunday. Whether the reported Gaza arrangement and White House contacts were connected remains unresolved. The article reports no confirmation of a connection.