US President Donald Trump declined on Monday to endorse any Israeli candidate in the upcoming October 27 national election, but said he may do so in the future, as speculation swirled regarding an expected endorsement for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I think it’s most appropriate for me to stay out of Israeli elections, but I may endorse somebody,” Fox News reporter Trey Yingst said Trump told him in a phone call on Monday morning.

Trump has been notably close with Netanyahu in the past, although the pair have clashed over several issues in recent months, particularly those relating to Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza.

Trump’s comments Monday followed a Friday report by Axios alleging that, during the premier’s trip to Washington last month, the president had questioned Netanyahu about his election prospects and asked how he was faring in opinion polls.

Netanyahu hesitated, an official familiar with the matter told Axios, before one of his aides answered for him, saying: “Mr. President, he is winning.”

But most polls ahead of the October 27 election, including those conducted by The Times of Israel, have Netanyahu’s Likud neck-and-neck with or, more recently, falling behind his main challenger, Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot.

They also show Netanyahu’s coalition bloc falling to around 50 seats in the 120-member........

© The Times of Israel