Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has no plans to resign once the Gaza war is over, even though his popularity has plummeted and others are already eyeing his seat.
“I plan to get rid of Hamas, but won’t get rid of my job,” he told reporters in Tel Aviv on Saturday night when asked if he planned to step down when the IDF’s military campaign to oust Hamas is over.
Netanyahu also asserted that he remained strong on the issue of Israeli security despite the Hamas-led infiltration of southern Israel on October 7, during which 1,200 people were killed and some 250 were taken hostage.
Netanyahu asserts that he remains strong on security
“During the years that I led Israel, it became much stronger,” Netanyahu stated. The IDF’s ability to handle multi-front threats is proof of this, he added.
He spoke as polls continued to show he has lost significant support since last year when he won the 2022 elections with 32 seats for his Likud Party.
Minister Benny Gantz, who heads the National Unity Party, received 38 seats in that same poll, compared to the 12 he garnered in the last election.
In an interview with Channel 12’s Meet the Press on Saturday night, Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yuli Edelstein said he did not think this was the time for elections.
“I would prefer that those in the upper echelon would take responsibility,” he said, adding that he didn’t believe I was wise to switch governments in the middle of a war.
“But you can’t continue as normal,” he added.
Opposition Lead Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) has called for Netanyahu to resign.