Most Israelis want Benjamin Netanyahu to leave politics now, according to a poll by the Israeli broadcaster Channel 12.
Fifty-nine percent of Israelis surveyed said Netanyahu should quit politics and should not contest the country’s next election, due this autumn.
Netanyahu has come under pressure since the United States and Iran reached an understanding to end the war, with anger toward Israel and its government rising at home and abroad.
Only 33 percent of those surveyed backed Netanyahu, the Likud party leader, running in the next election, while 8 percent gave no opinion.
Netanyahu, 76, who is currently on trial in a corruption case, is trying hard to convince voters that he alone can keep Israelis safe.
A national election is due in October. A senior opposition official said last week: ‘The coming election will be a major turning point for the country. Its importance cannot be overstated.’
Supporters’ confidence in Netanyahu was deeply shaken after Hamas’s surprise attack in October 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 abducted.
Israel was then increasingly isolated internationally as more than 73,000 people were killed in its military campaign in Gaza.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
The United States and Israel launched their offensive against Iran on February 28. To end the war, US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday. The two sides are to hold talks in Switzerland with a 60-day deadline in mind, aimed at a final peace agreement.
One of the agreement’s conditions is that fighting must stop on all fronts, including Lebanon. Israel was initially reluctant to accept this. Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah finally announced a ceasefire on Friday.
Israeli forces nonetheless continued their operations in Lebanon, killing at least 47 people there in a single day on Friday. At least 12 more people were reported killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday.
Netanyahu has been in power in Israel for many years. He first became prime minister in 1996 and held the post until 1999. He returned as head of government in 2009 and served continuously as prime minister until 2021.
After a brief interval, Netanyahu became prime minister again in 2022 and has led the government since. He is the longest-serving head of government in Israel’s history.
Israelis are far from happy with the recent US understanding with Iran. Many Israelis see the US deal with Iran as a ‘betrayal.’
Local analysts have called it a ‘surrender’ and a ‘shameful deal,’ worse than Israel’s worst fears.
The greatest concern, according to these analysts, is that the deal will give Iran the chance to rebuild itself stronger than before the war. The agreement imposed on Lebanon is also seen as limiting Israel’s military options against Hezbollah, posing a major threat to Israel’s northern region.
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