Trump says he will look at helping Netanyahu after Israeli prime minister claims election ‘stolen’

President Donald Trump said he would consider stepping in to assist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has alleged that Israel's Tuesday election was stolen from him. Netanyahu's right-wing bloc finished with the most seats yet appears to have lost its governing majority. With nearly 94 percent of ballots counted, it was on course for 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats, against 48 for the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot. Arab-backed parties were projected to take a record 19 seats, and many Jewish politicians refuse to work with them, so Eisenkot's route to power looks narrow, according to The Independent.

Netanyahu's Likud party blamed fraud at Arab polling stations and demanded swift, harsh action from law enforcement. Israeli police replied that neither their investigations nor intelligence supported such claims, and reported 48 complaints of fraud or impersonation, fewer than the nearly 80 logged in the previous election.

Speaking to Axios, Trump credited his own October 18 endorsement with boosting Netanyahu and said that, on the question of helping form a unity government, he would "take a look." Neither camp has a clear path to a government, so lengthy coalition talks or a fresh vote may follow, with Netanyahu staying on as caretaker.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →