{"text":[[{"start":7.44,"text":"Donald Trump has endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nine days before knife-edge parliamentary elections in Israel, despite tension between the pair since they jointly attacked Iran in February."}],[{"start":18.6,"text":"Trump said he was giving his “Complete and Total Endorsement” to Netanyahu in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, in which he called the Israeli premier a “Great Warrior Prime Minister” and a “partner for peace” against Iran."}],[{"start":32.68,"text":"The US president warned that “if Israel has the wrong leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi,” the US would have to take on the Islamic republic alone, “and I am not inclined to do so”."}],[{"start":43.16,"text":"The endorsement followed moments of apparent tension between the two leaders since they launched the joint military offensive against Iran. Trump told the FT in June that Netanyahu “won’t have any choice” but to accept any deal made by Washington and Tehran because “I call all the shots. He [Netanyahu] doesn’t call the shots.”"}],[{"start":61.48,"text":"The campaign failed to topple the regime in Tehran, and Iran’s subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz and retaliation against critical installations across the Gulf have led to a months-long crisis in global energy markets."}],[{"start":74.56,"text":"At home, the war remains unpopular, with Trump’s Republican Party bracing for losses in the congressional midterm elections in early November."}],[{"start":82.88,"text":"Netanyahu, who has become increasingly isolated on the global stage, seized on Trump’s endorsement. Informed of it during a live television interview, he said: “It warms the heart, because our partnership is an asset to the State of Israel. People need to ask what happens in the coming two years.”"}],[{"start":100.4,"text":"Referring to his main rival, a former military chief, he added: “The window with Trump is the next two years. Who will work with him? Gadi Eisenkot?”"}],[{"start":109.44,"text":"Eisenkot responded to Trump’s statement by saying he had great appreciation for the US president, who he described as “a big friend of Israel”."}],[{"start":117.12,"text":"“But the elections in Israel are an internal Israeli matter,” he told Israel’s Channel 12."}],[{"start":121.64,"text":"“The only ones to decide on the next prime minister and the next coalition are the citizens of Israel.”"}],[{"start":128.52,"text":"While Trump has proven deeply unpopular with the populations of many allied countries, Pew Research found in June that Israel was among the countries where he was most popular, with 66 per cent of Israelis surveyed saying they had confidence in him to do the right thing in world affairs."}],[{"start":146.16,"text":"Netanyahu has met with Trump eight times since the US president returned to office in January 2025, more than any other world leader. But it took Trump five months after the start of the Iran war to invite Netanyahu to the White House for their most recent meeting in July."}],[{"start":163.28,"text":"Trump refrained from scheduling a meeting with Netanyahu during last month’s UN General Assembly meetings and had previously been coy when asked whether he would endorse the Israeli premier. On Tuesday he had told reporters, “We haven’t even thought about it.”"}],[{"start":178.04,"text":"Within Israel, most mainstream polls currently show the opposition bloc narrowly ahead of Netanyahu’s far-right coalition, though both remain short of a clear majority."}],[{"start":188.62,"text":"The October 27 election will be the first referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership since Hamas’s October 7 2023 attack from Gaza, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust."}],[{"start":201.24,"text":"Trump said in his endorsement that Netanyahu had remained “Strong, Brave and Brilliant” in the face of opposition at home and abroad and said the veteran Israeli leader had “thrived” under the pressure and “did not wilt, he actually got stronger”."}],[{"start":215.435,"text":"The US president threatened further attacks on Iran, saying that “unless [Iran] change their ways, rapidly” the US and Israel would “soon finish the job”."}],[{"start":224.06,"text":"Writing on X, Netanyahu thanked Trump “for the tremendous support and the joint work.” “Together we will complete the mission!” he added."}],[{"start":236.97,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1792380011_2824.mp3"}