Netanyahu fears losing his majority in the Knesset: Holding elections in Israel now would be a mistake

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday evening that holding elections now would be a mistake and that he risks losing his majority in the Knesset if the state budget isn’t approved by March 31.

Asked at a news conference about the risk of not passing the budget, which would lead to early elections, Netanyahu told a news conference: “Of course I’m worried… We’re in a very delicate position”.

“The last thing we need now is the elections,” he said, adding that they would be held “later this year, but it’s wrong to hold them now”.

He called on his allies to act rationally, while the legislative term is set to expire in November.

Netanyahu leads Israel’s largest right-wing party, the Likud party, who turned 76 in October, more than 18 of which have been prime minister.

He has announced that he will run again and is expected to win the next election.

Under Israeli law, failure to pass the general budget before March 31 automatically dissolves parliament and calls for early elections.

Since the summer, Netanyahu has led a minority government.

The ultra-Orthodox parties, which have withdrawn from the governing coalition and refuse to topple it, are refusing to vote in favor of the budget unless Netanyahu keeps his promise to pass a conscription law that would allow their voters to escape military service.

The government’s mandate saw a judicial reform project that divided the country before the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, which was sparked by an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023.

A large segment of the Israeli public has sharply criticized the prime minister for his handling of the war and the hostage crisis, but most polls indicate that he is leading the elections, but this won’t enable him to form a government.