Jerusalem, October 19, 2025 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the nation's longest-serving leader, declared his intent to seek another term in the upcoming general elections scheduled for November 2026, projecting unwavering confidence in a potential victory. In a candid interview on the right-leaning Channel 14 broadcast on Saturday, Netanyahu responded affirmatively to queries about his political ambitions, stating, "Yes, and I believe I will win, with the help of the public." The announcement, delivered with characteristic defiance, underscores Netanyahu's determination to extend his 18-year cumulative tenure despite mounting domestic and international pressures.
The remarks arrived on the heels of a Friday report by Israel's public broadcaster, Kan, suggesting Netanyahu was contemplating accelerating the elections from their constitutionally mandated date to June 2026. While no formal proposal has materialized, such a maneuver would align with Israeli law, which permits the prime minister to recommend early dissolution of the Knesset – Israel's 120-seat parliament – subject to presidential approval. This procedural pathway has been invoked multiple times in recent years, contributing to Israel's reputation for electoral volatility, with five national votes between 2019 and 2022 alone.
Current polling reflects a polarized landscape. A recent survey published by the Maariv newspaper, conducted amid ongoing regional tensions, projected Netanyahu's right-wing bloc securing 52 seats if elections were held today, trailing the opposition's estimated 58 seats, with Arab parties projected at 10. Forming a governing coalition requires a minimum of 61 seats, a threshold that has eluded Netanyahu's rivals in past cycles due to their reluctance to partner with Arab-majority parties. Opposition leaders, including Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid and Benny Gantz of the National Unity Party (recently rebranded as Blue and White), have repeatedly vowed to exclude Arab factions from any anti-Netanyahu alliance, preserving a de facto Jewish-majority prerequisite for power.
Broader opinion polling paints a more precarious picture for Netanyahu. According to data aggregated by the Israel Democracy Institute and various media outlets like Channel 12, public support for early elections hovers around 64%, with over 75% of respondents in post-October 7, 2023, surveys expressing belief that Netanyahu should resign over perceived failures in preventing the Hamas-led attack that claimed 1,200 lives and led to the abduction of 251 hostages. A Gallup poll from early October 2025 indicates Netanyahu's personal approval rating stabilized at 40% – a figure consistent since 2023 but well below his 2017 peak of 52% – while only 44% of Israelis approve of national leadership overall. The survey highlights persistent concerns over law and order, with war, conflict, and violence topping the list of national issues, overshadowing economic woes like the rising cost of living.
Netanyahu's re-election pledge comes at a pivotal juncture for his Likud party and the broader right-wing coalition. Recent internal shifts have reshaped the political terrain: In March 2025, Gideon Sa'ar's New Hope faction merged into Likud, bolstering its ranks ahead of the vote. However, defections abound. Otzma Yehudit, a far-right partner, exited the government in January 2025 over a Gaza ceasefire agreement, while Gadi Eisenkot and Matan Kahana departed National Unity in June and July, respectively, to form the centrist Yashar party. Yoaz Hendel's Reservists Party, founded in August 2025, positions itself as a Zionist alternative open to Likud collaboration but unaligned with the bloc. A Channel 12 poll from late August showed Likud dipping to 24 seats, down from 27 the prior week, signaling erosion amid coalition strains over Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) military exemptions and hostage negotiations.
At 76, Netanyahu's political resilience is legendary, marked by five non-consecutive terms since 1996. Yet, his leadership is inextricably linked to a cascade of legal entanglements that have dominated headlines. Domestically, he faces three corruption indictments filed in 2019 – Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000 – alleging bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. In Case 1000, prosecutors claim Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, accepted lavish gifts, including $200,000 worth of cigars and champagne, from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer in exchange for regulatory favors. Case 2000 involves alleged negotiations with Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes for favorable coverage in return for curbing rival Israel Hayom's circulation. Case 4000 accuses Netanyahu of granting regulatory benefits to Bezeq Telecom in exchange for positive coverage on its Walla news site, controlled by ally Shaul Elovitch.
The trial, which commenced in May 2020, has dragged on, with Netanyahu's testimony resuming sporadically after wartime suspensions. Cross-examination began in June 2025 following minor surgery-related delays, but hearings were halted again in late June on "diplomatic and security grounds," a move critics decried as politically motivated. By October 15, Netanyahu returned to the Tel Aviv District Court after a month-long hiatus, testifying for the 14th time in a process not expected to conclude before 2028-2029, including appeals. Netanyahu vehemently denies the charges, labeling them a "witch hunt" orchestrated by a biased media and judiciary. In August 2025, his government voted to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, the lead prosecutor, citing irreconcilable conflicts; a court swiftly intervened, halting the firing as an assault on judicial independence.
The legal saga escalated internationally in November 2024 when the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza from October 8, 2023, to May 20, 2024. The charges center on allegations of using starvation as a method of warfare, intentionally directing attacks against civilians, and imposing inhumane acts, including the blockade that exacerbated Gaza's humanitarian crisis. The ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber rejected Israel's jurisdictional challenges in decisions issued the same day, affirming the court's authority over the Palestinian territories. Warrants were also issued for Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, killed in a July 2024 Israeli airstrike, later confirmed by both sides.
The ICC ruling obligates all 125 Rome Statute signatories – including EU nations like France, Germany, and the UK – to arrest Netanyahu upon entry. Yet enforcement remains inconsistent. Hungary's Viktor Orbán hosted Netanyahu in April 2025, defying the warrant and announcing plans to withdraw from the ICC. Belgium's Prime Minister Bart de Wever cited "realpolitik" in April, signaling reluctance. In September 2025, Netanyahu rerouted his UN flight to avoid French airspace, a first since the warrants. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemned such evasions as undermining global accountability. Israel, a non-signatory, has challenged the ICC's legitimacy, with Netanyahu decrying the warrants as antisemitic. In May 2025, Israel urged the court to revoke them pending jurisdictional review. Reports in July revealed alleged threats from Netanyahu's legal team to ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, warning of the court's "destruction" unless warrants were dropped – claims Khan dismissed as smears.
These indictments intersect with Israel's protracted Gaza conflict, now in its second year. The war, ignited by Hamas's October 7 assault, has claimed over 41,000 Palestinian lives per Gaza health authorities, displaced 90% of the strip's 2.3 million residents, and drawn accusations of genocide from UN rapporteurs. Netanyahu's coalition, including far-right allies like Itamar Ben-Gvir, has prioritized military objectives: dismantling Hamas, securing hostages (105 released in phased deals, 20 remaining as of October), and resettling northern border communities evacuated due to Hezbollah exchanges. A June 2025 ceasefire with Iran, following a 12-day escalation, briefly boosted Netanyahu's ratings, with Likud gaining seats in postwar polls but still short of a majority. Critics, including hostage families, accuse him of prolonging the war to evade legal reckoning, a charge echoed in Channel 12 surveys where 54% attribute stalled talks to politics.
Netanyahu's tenure has been a lightning rod for division. His 2023 judicial overhaul attempt sparked unprecedented protests, with tens of thousands marching weekly against perceived erosions of democracy. Gallup's 2025 data shows confidence in the judiciary at a record low of 43%, down amid overhaul fallout and trial politicization. Internationally, U.S. President Donald Trump's return has amplified support: In June 2025, Trump branded the corruption trial a "witch hunt" and urged its cancellation, citing billions in U.S. aid; by October, he advocated a presidential pardon during a Knesset address, prompting cheers from Likud benches. Justice Minister Yariv Levin echoed calls for dismissal, while opposition figures like Avigdor Liberman quipped, "He's right." Israeli law permits pardons post-conviction, but preemptive clemency risks judicial backlash.
As Netanyahu eyes 2026, rivals sharpen strategies. Naftali Bennett's eponymous party polls strongly, with 35% preferring him as premier per June surveys, though Netanyahu edges at 38% post-Iran truce. Lapid warns a Netanyahu win would spell "the end of Zionism." New entrants like Rabbi Haim Yosef Abergel's ultra-Orthodox Mayim Chaim and Avi Shaked's Jewish-Arab Beyachad Natzliach aim to fragment votes. On X (formerly Twitter), reactions range from MAGA-aligned praise – "Bibi's comeback like Trump's!" – to accusations of hypocrisy over his premature 2024 congratulations to Biden-Harris.
Netanyahu's bid encapsulates Israel's existential crossroads: security amid perpetual threats, judicial integrity under siege, and a democracy testing its limits. With Gaza's Rafah crossing closed indefinitely per his office and northern evacuees in limbo, the prime minister vows to "change the security reality for generations." Whether voters reward tenacity or demand reckoning remains the ballot's ultimate verdict. As one Tel Aviv protester quipped, "Bibi's not done fighting – but is Israel done with Bibi?"
