Published On 19/10/2025
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Last update: 06:07 (Mecca time)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced yesterday evening, Saturday, that he will run again for the position of prime minister in the next elections scheduled for November 2026.
In response to a question by Israeli Channel 14 about whether he intends to run in the upcoming elections, Netanyahu – who is wanted by the International Criminal Court – responded in the affirmative.
Netanyahu leads the Likud Party, the largest Israeli right-wing party, and he spent the longest period as prime minister in Israel, where he held the position for more than 18 years since 1996, but in separate terms.
In the last elections, his party won 32 seats in the Knesset, its Haredi allies won 18 seats, and the Religious Zionist Alliance won 14 seats, which is a record for the extreme right-wing movement.
Netanyahu has faced 3 corruption cases since May 2020, and during his current term, which began in late 2022, he proposed wide-ranging judicial reforms that his opponents say are aimed at weakening the judiciary.
These projects sparked huge protests that did not subside until the outbreak of the genocidal war launched by Israel against Gaza, and Netanyahu faced criticism inside Israel regarding the way he managed the war and how he dealt with the issue of releasing prisoners of the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip.
He also faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court on suspicion of ordering war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.