Netanyahu to run for reelection after Trump questioning
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek reelection, with his Likud party quickly dismissing speculation after U.S. President Donald Trump questioned whether he would continue his political career. Trump’s comments came soon after remarks implying Netanyahu might step aside rather than run again. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has led the country in three periods totaling 18 years.
israel is expected to hold new elections before the end of October,though the date hasn’t been set. With Netanyahu’s approval ratings low and an opposition front largely unified only around opposing him, polls suggest the opposition needs support from Arab parties to win-an approach viewed as risky. likud has already highlighted this scenario in party messaging, and the upcoming vote will be the frist election as Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack, which reshaped the Middle East conflict and exposed challenges in Israel’s security.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party announced he would run for reelection, after President Donald Trump publicly questioned whether he would.
Speculation about Netanyahu’s political future increased after Trump, the prime minister’s closest international ally, voiced uncertainty, citing the Israeli prime minister’s long career. The Likud party shut down any speculation in a brief X post on Wednesday.
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“Prime Minister Netanyahu will run in the upcoming elections – and with God’s help, he will win,” the post read.
The remarks came shortly after Trump implied the prime minister might want to throw in the towel and end his career rather than run for reelection.
“I don’t know, he’s had an amazing career. Does he want to continue?” Trump said when asked by a journalist about Netanyahu’s plans for reelection.
Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, having held the position for 18 years in total. He’s had three stints in the role, from 1996 to 1999, 2009 to 2021, and from 2022 to present.
Israel must hold new elections before the end of October, though no date has been announced.
Netanyahu, whose approval ratings are underwater, faces a steep challenge from an opposition front united solely around its opposition to him. Polls indicate the opposition doesn’t have a majority unless it partners with Arab parties, a risky move that could jeopardize its chances.
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Likud has already capitalized on this possibility, with Netanyahu reposting a foreboding ad from the party stressing that opposition leader Yair Lapid can’t form a government without the help of Arabs.
The election will be the first since Hamas’s surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, a seismic event that set off a new era of war in the Middle East while highlighting weaknesses in Israel’s security.
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