Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said he would participate in the Israeli parliamentary elections scheduled for November 2026 and said he was confident to win the election.

On October 18 local time, in an interview with Israeli Channel 14 television, when asked whether he intended to seek a re-election, Netanyahu replied: ¡°Yes.¡±

As the leader of Israel¡¯s main right-wing Likud group, Netanyahu is the longest-running prime minister in Israel¡¯s history. He has served as prime minister twice since 1996 and has been in power for more than 18 years, with an interruption in the middle. In June 2021, Netanyahu¡¯s government was replaced in parliamentary voting by an intermediate coalition led by Yil Rabid and Naftali Bennett. He led the Likud group in the 2022 general election, winning 32 seats in parliament and receiving a recommendation from 64 out of 120 lawmakers, again sworn in as prime minister, leading a coalition of far-right and religious parties in December of that year.

The judicial reforms promoted by Netanyahu after his reinstatement have triggered months of national protests.Since the outbreak of a new round of conflict on 7 October 2023, his military operations in the Gaza Strip and the treatment of detainees have been criticized by some civilians and families.

However, Netanyahu still stressed in an interview on the 18th that he believed he would win the 2026 election again.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu (photo) Source: AFP