Netanyahu, Lapid court US support in Washington as Israeli election campaign heats up

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Yair Lapid are in Washington, D.C., ostensibly for the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, but are also actively campaigning for the upcoming Israeli election. Both leaders are seeking to garner American support, particularly from President Donald Trump, despite not being eligible to vote in Israel.

• Netanyahu, who met with Trump, is focused on securing support for the ongoing conflict with Iran, emphasizing his close relationship with the American president. He stated, "I am on my way to Washington to a meeting with our friend the president of the United States, Donald Trump."
• Lapid, speaking at the Atlantic Council, criticized Netanyahu's diplomacy, asserting that the "first step is obvious" to restoring Israel's reputation: "Send into retirement Benjamin Netanyahu and his group of extremists who are tearing us apart at home and abroad."
• Lapid aims to become foreign minister in a government led by Naftali Bennett and prioritizes repairing ties with the Democratic Party, stating, "The Democratic Party is not the enemy."
• Both leaders claimed a close relationship with the late Senator Graham, using his memory to bolster their respective political arguments regarding Iran and Israeli-American relations.