Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is reportedly considering calling early elections following Israel’s military campaign against Iran, which has garnered widespread domestic support and is being hailed as a strategic victory.
According to Channel 12, members of Netanyahu’s inner circle are urging him to capitalize on the success of the operation and the resulting bump in public approval to bolster his standing in a potential election.
The report noted that Netanyahu would likely campaign on a platform focused on forging diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia and blocking the creation of a Palestinian state.
Netanyahu has faced declining support in public opinion polls since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, with most surveys showing that his bloc would struggle to secure a parliamentary majority if elections were held. But a recent poll conducted late last week showed a resurgence in support for his Likud party.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Netanyahu appeared to signal his political ambitions, stating that he still had “many missions” ahead of him and intended to continue pursuing them “for as long as the people” of Israel want him to.
Although the current Knesset is not scheduled to dissolve until October 2026, there is growing speculation that the government may not last that long due to increasing tension within Netanyahu’s coalition.
A major flashpoint expected in the upcoming Knesset session is the demand from Netanyahu’s chareidi partners for legislation that would permanently exempt yeshiva students from mandatory army service — a controversial issue that has stirred public debate and coalition unease.
Budget battles may further complicate the prime minister’s path, as disagreements loom over how to allocate funds for Israel’s ongoing military conflicts. The divisions within the coalition could deepen as fiscal pressures mount.
Given the internal discord and looming legislative battles, Netanyahu may see early elections as a strategic opportunity to reassert control and possibly expand his party’s influence in the Knesset.
The coalition was nearly upended earlier this month due to the stalemate over the draft exemption law. United Torah Judaism and Shas, two key chareidi factions, threatened to trigger new elections if their demands were not met.
During that crisis, a Channel 12 survey showed Naftali Bennett outpacing Netanyahu in a hypothetical election, amid criticism of the government’s handling of the Gaza war and its perceived concessions to chareidi groups.
However, that momentum appears to be shifting. A Channel 13 poll conducted on June 19 indicated that Likud had rebounded from 24 to 27 seats, placing it once again as the Knesset’s largest party. Nonetheless, the current coalition as a whole remained short of a majority, projected to secure just 50 out of 120 seats.
The military strikes against Iran appear to have boosted Netanyahu’s popularity, with the air campaign being broadly viewed as a success. The United States’ role — particularly its strike on three major Iranian nuclear sites this past Sunday — is being celebrated in Israel as a diplomatic and strategic win for Netanyahu.
{Matzav.com}
