Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly laying the groundwork for early elections, with a senior Likud source confirming that internal preparations are already underway quietly and discreetly, Maariv reported on Friday.
Senior Likud officials told Maariv that the initiative represents “preparation for advancing national elections,” adding that Netanyahu seeks to capitalize on “the public momentum surrounding the hostage deal” and the broader peace initiative presented by US President Donald Trump as “a first step toward comprehensive peace in the Middle East.”
Holding Likud primaries
According to a Maariv report published Friday morning, Netanyahu recently contacted Likud Central Committee Chairman and Welfare Minister Haim Katz, asking him to convene the party’s central body to approve holding snap leadership primaries within the coming weeks.
Sources told Maariv that Netanyahu instructed Katz to examine the organizational and legal aspects required to initiate a fast-track leadership vote and to determine how the party’s central committee and internal election bodies could be activated within a very short timeframe.
Among the options being considered is holding the Likud leadership primaries at the same time as the elections for the party’s conference, which are scheduled for November 24. If carried out, the move could provide Netanyahu with a renewed leadership mandate, project unity within the party, and preempt potential internal challenges to his authority.