Israel Politics

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, casts his ballot in his Likud party primary elections ahead of Israel's general election in October, in Jerusalem, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026.

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With his eye on reelection, Israel's Netanyahu turns his focus to his divided base

With his eye on reelection, Israel's Netanyahu turns his focus to his divided base

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks reelection, his main concern these days isn’t his political rivals. It’s some of his biggest supporters. A series of small, pro-Netanyahu parties have announced their intentions to run in the Oct. 27 vote. But instead of strengthening the Israeli leader, these parties risk weakening his chances of reelection by splitting the vote among Netanyahu’s base. For that reason, Netanyahu is calling on the parties to unite to improve their chances of entering parliament and bolstering his chances of victory. The parties include hard-line blocs led by polarizing Cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.