Trump dangles Netanyahu endorsement in pressure campaign on Gaza

President Trump is dangling the possibility of an endorsement in Israel’s late October election as he seeks to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward on his Gaza peace plan. Trump, in an interview with Fox News on Monday, said it’s “appropriate” for him to stay out of the Israeli elections on October 27, but in the same breath said, “I may endorse somebody.”  Trump has made a habit of coming out in support of foreign leaders he wants in power, from Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, who lost earlier this year, to Nasry Asfura, the new Honduran president, to Argentina’s Javier Milei, who is up for re-election next year.  Israeli political observers are divided over the power of Trump’s blessing, as Netanyahu fights off a challenge from Gadi Eisenkot, the former chief of staff of Israel’s Defense Forces, whose party maintains an edge in polls. But they agree that making major concessions to Hamas right now could be the nail in the coffin for Israel’s longtime leader, whose brand is built around strength and security.  “I think if Trump wants Bibi [Netanyahu] to lose, then this is the way: push him on Gaza,” said Tal Schneider, an Israeli journalist specializing in diplomacy and politics, in a panel hosted by the Jerusalem Press Club on Monday. “This will definitely be, really, last strike for Netanyahu, it will cause him a lot of political damage.” Trump’s remarks came while his son-in-law and top envoy for the Gaza peace plan, Jared Kushner, met…