Gantz demands early election as poll shows Netanyahu’s popularity
The party of Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz announced on May 30th that it had submitted a bill to dissolve parliament and hold an early election — though polls show that the majority of Israel’s population still favours Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The New Arab and agencies reported.
“The head of the National Union Party, Pnina Tamano-Shata, has put forward a bill to dissolve the 25th Knesset,” Gantz’s party wrote in a statement. “This follows the request of party leader and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz to move forward in broad agreement to an election before October, a year since the massacre.”
Gantz also threatened to resign from the war cabinet unless Netanyahu approves a post-war plan for the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party quickly countered the party’s proposal, stating that “the dissolution of the unity government is a reward for [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar, a capitulation to international pressure and a fatal blow to efforts to free our hostages.”
An election is not scheduled before the final quarter of 2026 — an intentional move from the Likud party, who claimed that should it be held earlier, the army’s fight against Hamas in Gaza would lose momentum.
READ: Israel official says Gaza war could continue to year’s end
A survey conducted by Israeli Channel 12 revealed that — for the first time in a year — Netanyahu was favoured in a poll over Gantz. Thirty-six percent said they preferred Netanyahu, while 30 percent preferred Gantz.
If the election were to happen today, however, Netanyahu’s party would only win 21 seats in the Knesset, whereas Gantz’s party would win 25. Comparatively, a December survey suggested National Union winning 37 seats versus 18 for Likud.
Netanyahu’s increase in popularity comes despite growing pressure within Israel for him to secure a hostage deal with Hamas and free remaining captives in Gaza. On May 20th, the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan also announced his intention to seek arrest warrants for both Netanyahu and his defence minister Yoav Gallant for their roles in Israel’s war on Gaza.
On May 26th, an Israeli airstrike on a displacement camp near Rafah left 45 Palestinians dead. Netanyahu called the event a “horrific incident.”
The New Arab and agencies
