U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, in a move that was both unprecedented and unexpected at this point in the campaign.

With only a week left before the Israeli election, Haaretz English editor Yishai Halper said on the Haaretz Podcast that he doesn’t believe Trump's "October surprise" is enough for people on the right or the left "to make a significant change in their vote.”

"It is almost taken for granted that Trump is behind Netanyahu, and he may even amp up his endorsements in the coming days," he said, "It's an October surprise in the sense that he finally did this. The impact, I think, will be anything but a surprise.”

Also on the podcast, Haaretz correspondents Judy Maltz and Nagham Zbeedat assess the state of the race, polling and the mood of the Israeli voting public.

Zbeedat, who covers Palestinian affairs, said that the Arab majority parties are seeing the effect of many Arab citizens who previously boycotted national elections, or stayed home out of indifference or hopelessness, who are voting this year. This is mainly "because of the gun violence in the Arab community, and also because of the recent attempts to disqualify Arab parties.”

Maltz, who recently visited Gadi Eisenkot's hometown of Eilat, discussed the racist attacks on him from Netanyahu supporters. She also described the jittery mood among anti-Netanyahu voters across the country, as Election Day approaches. “People are not sleeping at night. People are talking about, ‘What are we going to do if Netanyahu pulls it off again? Where are we going to go? Can we stay here?’ It is that bad.” 

Read more: 

Trump Just Handed Netanyahu His October Surprise. Will It Pay Off?

Pro-Netanyahu Pundit Calls Eisenkot 'Moroccan Monkey' Controlled by Ashkenazi Elite

In Eilat, Gadi Eisenkot Has the Hometown Advantage. Is It Enough to Shake Netanyahu?

Explained: How Can Israelis Still Vote for Netanyahu?

Abu Shehadeh's Withdrawal Leaves Palestinians With a Political Dilemma

U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, in a move that was both unprecedented and unexpected at this point in the campaign.
With only a week left before the Israeli election, Haaretz English editor Yishai Halper said on the Haaretz Podcast that he doesn&rsquo;t believe Trump's "October surprise" is enough for people on the right or the left "to make a significant change in their vote.&rdquo;
"It is almost taken for granted that Trump is behind Netanyahu, and he may even amp up his endorsements in the coming days," he said, "It's an October surprise in the sense that he finally did this. The impact, I think, will be anything but a surprise.&rdquo;
Also on the podcast, Haaretz correspondents Judy Maltz and Nagham Zbeedat assess the state of the race, polling and the mood of the Israeli voting public.
Zbeedat, who covers Palestinian affairs, said that the Arab majority parties are seeing the effect of many Arab citizens who previously boycotted national elections, or stayed home out of indifference or hopelessness, who are voting this year. This is mainly "because of the gun violence in the Arab community, and also because of the recent attempts to disqualify Arab parties.&rdquo;
Maltz, who recently visited Gadi Eisenkot's hometown of Eilat, discussed the racist attacks on him from Netanyahu supporters. She also described the jittery mood among anti-Netanyahu voters across the country, as Election Day approaches. &ldquo;People are not sleeping at night. People are talking about, &lsquo;What are we going to do if Netanyahu pulls it off again? Where are we going to go? Can we stay here?&rsquo; It is that bad.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Read more:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-10-19/ty-article/.premium/trump-just-handed-netanyahu-his-october-surprise-will-it-pay-off/000001a1-50a9-d9e4-a1bd-55a9f3ac0000">Trump Just Handed Netanyahu His October Surprise. Will It Pay Off?</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-10-17/ty-article/.premium/pro-netanyahu-pundit-calls-eisenkot-moroccan-monkey-controlled-by-ashkenazis/000001a1-4b44-d54e-adef-dbf490b60000">Pro-Netanyahu Pundit Calls Eisenkot 'Moroccan Monkey' Controlled by Ashkenazi Elite</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-10-15/ty-article-magazine/.premium/in-eilat-gadi-eisenkot-has-the-hometown-advantage-can-he-shake-netanyahu/000001a1-2b43-d5c3-a5a9-2fffaa680000">In Eilat, Gadi Eisenkot Has the Hometown Advantage. Is It Enough to Shake Netanyahu?</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-10-15/ty-article-magazine/.premium/explained-how-can-israelis-still-vote-for-netanyahu/000001a1-3ff9-da29-abbd-7fffa2f50000">Explained: How Can Israelis Still Vote for Netanyahu?</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-10-05/ty-article-magazine/.premium/abu-shehadehs-withdrawal-leaves-palestinians-with-a-political-dilemma/000001a1-0c28-dbcb-a5e9-aefdf26f0000">Abu Shehadeh's Withdrawal Leaves Palestinians With a Political Dilemma</a>

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

Your audio guide to Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.

Haaretz Podcast

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer. 

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.