Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for stronger alliances with India and countries in Latin America, warning that a future American president could adopt policies hostile to Israel and fundamentally alter relations between the two allies.
Presenting his security doctrine on Sunday, nine days before Israel's October 27 election, Netanyahu said his country must use the remaining years of US President Donald Trump's administration to strengthen its strategic position while preparing for a possible change in Washington's approach.
The remarks came hours before Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu's re-election bid, providing a boost to the Israeli leader ahead of the polls.
๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐
"In two years, a President, man or woman, could come to power who is very hostile to Israel," Netanyahu said, raising concerns about the country's dependence on American political support.
"How would you deal with that? How would you operate in relation to the United States? And beyond that, what solutions would be necessary?" he asked.
Netanyahu said Israel needed to prepare for changes in American leadership rather than assume that the present level of cooperation would continue indefinitely.
"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.
๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
The Israeli Prime Minister identified India as an important country in his efforts to expand Israel's diplomatic partnerships beyond its traditional allies.
"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 said.
He also pointed to political developments in Latin America, suggesting that changing governments could create opportunities for closer diplomatic cooperation.
"There is a major shift in Latin America, and there could be an enormous change in Brazil in just a few days," he said.
Netanyahu maintained that Israel must broaden its network of international partners while developing capabilities that make cooperation with the country valuable to other nations.
The Israeli leader has frequently highlighted his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the growing partnership between India and Israel as evidence of his government's diplomatic outreach.
In May, while responding to concerns about Israel's international isolation amid the prolonged conflict, Netanyahu described the relationship with India as "unique" and referred to strong public support for Israel in the country.
๐ข๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป
Netanyahu's presentation drew sharp criticism from his principal election challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, who dismissed the security doctrine as a political exercise lacking concrete proposals.
"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 described the document as "two hollow pages" filled with slogans and accused Netanyahu of failing to address Israel's security challenges.
Eisenkot also alleged that the Prime Minister was attempting to influence voters through fear and divert attention from criticism of his government's record.
๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ
Netanyahu's warning comes against a history of difficult relations with Democratic administrations in Washington, particularly under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Some Israeli political analysts believe Netanyahu's confrontations with Democratic leaders have contributed to declining support for Israel among sections of the party.
Netanyahu, however, has frequently presented his willingness to disagree with American presidents as evidence of his commitment to defending Israel's interests.
Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister is seeking another term in the October 27 election, with relations with Washington and the country's security policy emerging as important campaign issues.
His latest remarks indicate that he wants Israel to maintain its close relationship with the United States while expanding diplomatic partnerships with countries such as India to prepare for possible changes in American foreign policy.