Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to be ousted from his top spot in Tel Aviv once the war in Gaza is over, sources from the Likud party have said. The news comes amid mounting public opinion challenges for the Israeli regime since the war began on October 7th, 2023.
- Multiple opinion polls have demonstrated that Netanyahu’s approval ratings and those of his Likud party have been on the decline since Hamas militants conducted their deadly surprise incursion into Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.
- Back in December, the Israel Democracy Institute, citing survey results, claimed that more than two-thirds of Israelis want general elections to be held as soon as hostilities in Gaza are over.
Why it Matters: While Netanyahu has vowed to “destroy Hamas,” Israeli forces have yet to defeat the Palestinian fighters. Israel also faces international condemnation for alleged acts of “genocide” in the region, which has only strained allies as the war teeters on the edge of a wider conflict in places like Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and elsewhere.
The Conversation: According to reports, numerous sources within Netanyahu’s own Likud Party have said that the embattled PM will be replaced at the end of the hostilities. The statements come amid a sharp decrease in approval rating and nationwide protests demanding early elections.
- A survey conducted earlier this month showed that opposition parties would secure as many as 75 of the Israeli parliament’s 120 seats if elections were held now.
- In its report on Saturday, Ynet quoted an unnamed senior member of Likud as predicting that “whoever was prime minister on October 7 will finish his post at the end of the war.”
- “I’d like to say to the government that you’ve had your time, you ruined everything that you can ruin. Now is the time for the people to correct all the things, all the bad things that you’ve done,” said one protester, his head wrapped in an Israeli flag.
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