Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided at this stage to abandon efforts to assemble a governing coalition and instead actively pursue snap repeat elections, according to sources familiar with the matter. The strategic reassessment applies both to the prospect of establishing a broad national unity government and to exploratory alignments involving Naftali Bennett’s Together faction and Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu. According to informed officials, the decision crystallized after Netanyahu concluded that Yashar! Chairman Gadi Eisenkot would adamantly refuse to join a unity government under his leadership.
Insiders in the Prime Minister’s circle expressed mounting frustration over what they described as a deliberate pattern by Eisenkot to publicize every backchannel approach by intermediaries—whether dispatched directly by Netanyahu’s team or acting on personal initiative. Under these conditions, Netanyahu’s advisors determined that continuing outreach to the former chief of staff was entirely futile. Facing unyielding opposition and complex demands from potential right-wing partners, the Prime Minister’s Office concluded that the only remaining viable option is to return the mandate to the electorate. To lay the groundwork for a new election campaign, Netanyahu intends to roll out an intensive public messaging drive to delegitimize any alternative government that relies on Arab parliamentary factions.
The campaign’s core argument will be that an administration propped up directly or indirectly by Ra’am or the Joint List lacks national legitimacy during a period of acute security challenges, leaving repeat elections as the only responsible course for the state. Sources close to the deliberations said broader security events could also shape the public landscape. A military escalation in the region, should one erupt, could alter national priorities and complicate the opposition’s attempts to establish an alternative governing arrangement. Additionally, officials pointed to the ongoing Shin Bet investigation—which sources indicate is being conducted with operational assistance from the Mossad—into illicit foreign funding and voter bribery in the Arab sector. Political observers view developments in the inquiry as potentially reshaping public sentiment.
Nevertheless, insiders cautioned that Netanyahu maintains no control over the substantive findings or the timetable of these security and investigative tracks. Consequently, his core operational strategy remains focused on shaping public opinion and preparing the political apparatus for another electoral showdown.