The American magazine “Politico” revealed that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and some of those close to him are actually studying the idea of calling for early elections in Israel in his quest to remain in power, even though the opposition is the one calling for this, and accuses Netanyahu of failure in his war on the Gaza Strip.

The American magazine indicated in a report, Tuesday, March 19, 2024, that Netanyahu and the Likud Party he leads were quick to rebuke the leader of the Democratic majority in the US Senate, Senator Chuck Schumer, in response to his explicit call on Israel to hold parliamentary elections.

In a scathing speech, Schumer, the most senior Jewish lawmaker in the US Congress, warned Israel that it risked becoming an international “pariah” unless it changed its approach in its military campaign in Gaza and adopted a two-state solution.

This explicit intervention, which Netanyahu viewed as one of the obstacles to peace, was seen in both Washington and Israel, not only as a remarkable shift for Schumer personally, but also for American policy.

It was, of course, another indication of the frustration of American Democrats as they fear that the war in Gaza and its high death toll will cause President Joe Biden to lose crucial young voters in next November’s elections.

However, in their statement, Netanyahu and Likud asked Schumer to return to the ranks, and declared that Israel is not a “banana republic.” The Prime Minister then informed his government last Saturday, March 16, that “no international pressure will prevent Israel” from achieving its war goals.

“Friends Advice”

But despite the insult that Netanyahu and his party may feel, Schumer's invitation may amount to advice from friends. The Israeli leader and his inner circle are already thinking about whether to call early elections in Israel, although it will not be for the reasons given by the US Senator.

As Netanyahu tries to cling to power, he faces contradictory demands about the direction of the war. Opposition politicians who joined his war government have long pushed for a deal with Hamas to secure the return of Israeli hostages remaining in detention in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Likud lawmakers, as well as the religious nationalists and far-right extremists in his coalition, are pushing for the war to continue at full force until Hamas is eliminated. They also completely reject American and European demands regarding the “Day After” plan, which includes real negotiations to establish an independent Palestinian state.

In a recent television interview, Biden reiterated his opposition to military action in Rafah without a credible plan to protect civilians, warning that such an attack would represent a “red line” for him.

But Netanyahu simply added fuel to the burning diplomatic fire, announcing last Friday, March 15, the approval of the military plans for the attack.

Netanyahu thought about early elections in Israel

So, with pressure mounting at home and abroad, Netanyahu and his trusted aides are now considering whether holding early elections in Israel might be his best tactic in trying to maintain his grip on power.

According to a current aide to Netanyahu who spoke to the American magazine Politico, this option was first discussed in regular strategy sessions last December, even before war cabinet minister Gadi Eisenkot publicly said that elections must be held soon, in order to restore confidence in the government. Following the attacks of October 7th.

Nadav Strauchler, a former strategist who worked with Netanyahu, told the magazine, “Bibi is in a difficult position, and he has big problems wherever he turns.” But he adds, “He always has a plan, in fact more than one plan, and he always says that you have to come up with two plans, and then decide which one is better at the last minute.” He continued that surrender is not in Netanyahu's nature.

Netanyahu was dubbed “Bibi the Magician” in the 1990s, after he defeated Shimon Peres in elections held months after the assassination of then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The then US President, Bill Clinton, secretly tried to obstruct Netanyahu's election campaign, but to no avail.

Later, few believed he could win in 2015 given talk of a possible criminal investigation into allegations of breach of trust, bribery and fraud. However, Bibi pulled another rabbit out of his hat, securing re-election by courting the Israeli far right and religious nationalists.

The protests worry Netanyahu

One of Netanyahu's biggest fears is that protests against him will soon break out again, this time perhaps even dwarfing last year's demonstrations against his judicial reform plans.

So, one option is to try to pre-empt this by going to early elections in Israel and using mounting American criticism of the war in Gaza to argue that he is the best person to defend Israel and fend off international criticism until “total victory” is achieved.

For this purpose, Netanyahu uses the saying “standing up to Washington” in his Hebrew-language media, a saying that served him well in the past, especially when he challenged former US President Barack Obama.

While opinion polls also show signs that things may be turning back in Bibi's favour. According to an opinion poll published by the Israeli Channel 14, Netanyahu has a chance to fight to remain in power, and his bloc may obtain a majority in the Knesset, albeit a small majority.