Netanyahu's rivals see Democratic win as chance to oust him

Israeli political opponents of Benjamin Netanyahu seized on the Democratic Party's control of the US Congress as evidence he squandered generations of bipartisan American support for Israel, as they seek to form a government without him. Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and House in Tuesday's midterm elections. The US elections came just one week after Israeli elections, in which Netanyahu's right-wing coalition lost its parliamentary majority but performed well enough to prevent his main rival Gadi Eisenkot from getting a chance to replace him. Israeli President Isaac Herzog will hold consultations with party representatives Wednesday and Thursday before tasking one of them with forming the next government. Unlike previous leaders who cultivated both Democrats and Republicans, Netanyahu openly backed Republicans. Support for Israel has declined among Democrats and some Republicans since the Gaza campaign began in 2023, and fell further this year after Trump and Netanyahu ordered a joint strike on Iran. Some Democratic candidates made criticism of US military aid to Israel a central campaign theme.