Netanyahu warns of possible hostile US president, calls for stronger ties with India

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that a future US president could adopt a hostile approach towards Israel, urging the country to build new alliances with nations including India and those in Latin America.

Netanyahu made the remarks on Sunday while presenting his security doctrine, nine days before Israel’s October 27 general election. His comments came hours before US President Donald Trump publicly endorsed his re-election bid.

“In two years, a President, man or woman, could come to power who is very hostile to Israel,” Netanyahu said. He asked how Israel would deal with such a shift in Washington and what steps would be needed to protect its interests.

The Israeli leader said his country should use the remaining years of Trump’s presidency to strengthen its position while preparing for a possible change in American policy.

“First, we must do everything we can during these two years, and during the following two years, in the American arena, through good times and bad,” he said. “The second thing is to create other alliances. That is what I am working on now with many countries in our region and outside it. India is not a small country, and there are many others.”

Netanyahu also pointed to political changes in Latin America as an opportunity for Israel to expand its diplomatic network. “There is a major shift in Latin America, and there could be an enormous change in Brazil in just a few days,” he said, adding that Israel must broaden its alliances and develop capabilities that make it valuable to other countries.

The Prime Minister has frequently referred to India and his ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to argue that Israel is not diplomatically isolated. In May, he described Israel’s relationship with India as “unique”, calling India a “huge power” and saying there was “crazy love” for Israel there.

Netanyahu’s relations with Democratic administrations, including those of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, have often been strained. Analysts in Israel say his confrontational approach with US presidents has been presented to supporters as proof of his willingness to defend Israel’s interests, and has remained a central theme of his election campaigns.

His main challenger, former Israel Defence Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, dismissed the security doctrine presentation as a political exercise rather than a serious strategy.

“Nine days before the election and three years after the gravest failure and disaster in Israel’s history, with every war front still open, Netanyahu decided to present his ‘security doctrine’ to the public,” Eisenkot said.

He accused the Prime Minister of offering slogans instead of a real security plan and of leaving Israel in a strategic vacuum. Eisenkot also alleged that Netanyahu was trying to manipulate public opinion and spread fear ahead of the vote.