US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was “not happy” with the electoral upheaval in Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unable to form a new governing coalition and a second election was set for later this year.
Voicing his impatience with close ally Israel, he urged the Israelis to “get their act together.”
Israeli lawmakers voted to dissolve parliament on Thursday, paving the way for a new election on September 17 after Netanyahu failed to form a government before a midnight deadline.
Trump is expected to keep up his support for Netanyahu, a right-wing leader who has forged close ties with the US president over their tough stances on the Palestinians and Israel’s arch-foe Iran.
But the latest uncertainties clouding Israeli politics are expected to further delay the Trump administration’s long-awaited Middle East peace plan, which already faces deep skepticism from many experts.
Palestinians have boycotted the effort, seeing it as heavily tilted in favor of Israel and denying them a state of their own.
The need to go to the polls again so soon after a closely contested April 9 election in which Netanyahu had claimed victory showed a new weakness in a leader who has been in power for the past decade.
“Israel is all messed up in their election,” Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving on a European trip. “They have to get their act together.”
“Bibi got elected and now they have to go through the process again? We’re not happy about that,” Trump said.
On Sunday, Netanyahu fired two prominent ministers ahead of the September polls, an official said, according to AFP.
An official from the PM’s office confirmed on condition of anonymity that Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked had been fired, without providing further details.
Both are right-wing rivals to Netanyahu and had broken off from his Likud party years earlier.
The pair issued a statement saying they were being replaced and thanking the Israeli public, but did not provide details.
Ministers remain in their posts immediately after Israeli elections, until the formation of the next administration.
Netanyahu has frequently clashed with Bennett, but it was unclear why he chose to dismiss him and Shaked now.
Both Shaked and Bennett also served in Netanyahu's security cabinet, and the Jerusalem Post quoted sources close to the prime minister saying their service should not continue after they were rejected by voters.
The sackings could also allow Netanyahu to use the vacated ministries for pre-election bargaining.
