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Israel’s Netanyahu seeks to avoid snap vote as Iran war gives no boost in polls
The Straits Times ^ | Mar 25, 2026

Posted on 03/25/2026 12:34:50 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege

Netanyahu seeks to pass the Budget by March 31 to avoid snap elections, which polls suggest he would likely lose.

The war in Iran has shifted focus from Gaza, but polls remain unchanged since Oct 7, showing weak support for Netanyahu.

To secure the Budget, Netanyahu's coalition allocated funds to allies, like ultra-Orthodox parties, ensuring their support.

Polls consistently show around 40 per cent of voters sticking with Mr Netanyahu’s coalition of nationalist and religious parties, 40 per cent backing opposition parties, and a swing vote so far not moving to Mr Netanyahu, said Professor Gideon Rahat, a political scientist at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Even if Israelis rally in support of the war’s goals, they are growing weary as it drags on with no decisive end or diplomatic resolution in sight, after a shorter round of fighting in June, Prof Rahat said.

“You have one round, a few months of quiet, and then another round,” he said.

A poll published by the Times of Israel on March 19 showed Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party would win 28 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, down from 34 at present. While Likud would be the largest party, his coalition would fall short of a majority, securing only 51 seats, the poll said.

On March 3, Israeli Science Minister and Likud party member Gila Gamliel told local radio that the election will be held in late June or early July. Senior party members and Netanyahu aides made similar remarks to Israeli media. In the weeks since, Mr Netanyahu has acknowledged there was no certainty Iranians would overthrow their rulers. As the war nears a fifth week, the prospect of a summer election appears remote.

“His strategy is buying time,” Prof Rahat said.

(Excerpt) Read more at straitstimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Gaza; Hamas; Hezbollah; Iran; Israel; Lebanon; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alreuters; antisemitism; bibi; concern; concerned; concerntroll; concerntrolling; fakenews; frantisemiticcult; gaza; ibtz; iran; iranwar; israel; knesset; likud; netanyahu; rop; terroristloversonfr; zot
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1 posted on 03/25/2026 12:34:50 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: CondoleezzaProtege; Alberta's Child
Netanyahu's time is long past. He needs to retire and just live out the rest of his years gracefully.

And insofar as American foreign policy is concerned, we should have ignored him henceforth after this bit in 2002 aged rather poorly: "If you take out Saddam, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region...The first victory in Afghanistan makes the second victory in Iraq that much easier. The second victory in Iraq will make the third victory that much easier too but it may change the nature of achieving that victory..."

2 posted on 03/25/2026 12:44:16 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (There is nothing new under the sun.)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

they have him good this time...gonna be voted out this time..I swear its true....


3 posted on 03/25/2026 12:47:52 PM PDT by pissant ((Deport them all))
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To: Ultra Sonic 007

excellent advise. Too bad we didn’t take it


4 posted on 03/25/2026 12:50:06 PM PDT by pissant ((Deport them all))
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To: Ultra Sonic 007
It’s hard to believe anyone with an IQ over 90 — let alone any American — would listen to that clown anymore.

The guy began his career as PM of Israel during Bill Clinton’s first term in office. Can you even imagine an American political figure from 1996 who would still be relevant today? LOL.

5 posted on 03/25/2026 12:55:58 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (If I leave here, it’s because I’m tired of arguing with geriatric parrots wearing MAGA hats.)
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To: Ultra Sonic 007

Replaced with whom? Some leftist?


6 posted on 03/25/2026 1:00:46 PM PDT by kaktuskid
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Long term this war will hurt Israel. The political backlash in America will allow the anti Semetic, demonic, lunatic Democrats to seize power in 2026 and 2028. America will suffer worse.


7 posted on 03/25/2026 1:00:59 PM PDT by allendale
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To: Alberta's Child

I can name one prominent American who listens to him.


8 posted on 03/25/2026 1:03:25 PM PDT by thegagline (Sic semper tyrannis! Trump & Vance, 2024! (Formerly) Goldwater & Thomas Sowell)
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To: Alberta's Child
If Lindsey Graham somehow makes it another 7 years (as he joined the Senate in 2003), that would be an equivalent amount of time. (And "relevance", alas, can be for good or ill.)

Meanwhile, Chuck Grassley has been Iowa's Senator since 1981; his tenure has outlived twelve Presidential terms.

9 posted on 03/25/2026 1:05:06 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (There is nothing new under the sun.)
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To: kaktuskid
Doesn't have to be replaced by a Leftist.

But he should be replaced by someone.

That's not too crazy a thing to think about, is it? Or is he somehow royalty that should be involved with Israel's government for life?

10 posted on 03/25/2026 1:07:42 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (There is nothing new under the sun.)
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To: Ultra Sonic 007

Fair enough, but despite their prominent Senate committee posts I don’t think either one of them has a national following of any kind.


11 posted on 03/25/2026 1:16:51 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (If I leave here, it’s because I’m tired of arguing with geriatric parrots wearing MAGA hats.)
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To: Ultra Sonic 007

Ultra Sonic 007 posted for our edification: “Netanyahu’s time is long past.......insofar as Netanyahu’s take on American foreign policy, we should have ignored him after this bit in 2002 aged rather poorly:”

2002 Netanyahu to the US “If you take out Saddam, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region...The first victory in Afghanistan makes the second victory in Iraq that much easier. The second victory in Iraq will make the third victory that much easier too but it may change the nature of achieving that victory...”


12 posted on 03/25/2026 1:20:44 PM PDT by Liz (Jonathan Swift: Government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slaveryen .)
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To: Liz
VIdeo : C-Span user clip Benjamin Netanyahu projects the benefits of War in Iraq, 2002
13 posted on 03/25/2026 1:35:55 PM PDT by OldHarbor
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To: allendale

There will be Civil Ear if that happens.


14 posted on 03/25/2026 1:52:09 PM PDT by cowboyusa (YESHUA IS KING OF AMERICA!)
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To: allendale

War


15 posted on 03/25/2026 1:52:47 PM PDT by cowboyusa (YESHUA IS KING OF AMERICA!)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Hello

The Times of Israel is a FARRRR Leftist RAG like the NY Slimes .
There push polls cant be trusted.


16 posted on 03/25/2026 1:55:31 PM PDT by ncalburt ( Gop DC Globalists are the evil )
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To: allendale

The Generic Ballot advantage for Democrats is about 2.8. At this time in 2018, it was 7.8. But, that was a different Democrat Party.


17 posted on 03/25/2026 2:01:32 PM PDT by cowboyusa (YESHUA IS KING OF AMERICA!)
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To: OldHarbor

MUST WATCH: C-Span user clip
dumbo Netanyahu touts benefits of War in Iraq, 2002


Thx


18 posted on 03/25/2026 2:06:01 PM PDT by Liz (Jonathan Swift: Government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slaveryen .)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Trump has the same problem. It’s hard for an American to get very high in the polls in this outhouse when you’ve got 50 million illegal aliens being polled by the far left, communist “media”.


19 posted on 03/25/2026 3:44:06 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Welcome to Chicago. The wrong place at the wrong time! Hope you brought a gun. Gov. Prixster.)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Israel has a supercharged democracy.

I’ll leave their leadership decisions to them. We Americans can have opinions, but our opinions don’t vote there.

So, whatever!


20 posted on 03/25/2026 3:54:49 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie (Not all 2,000,000,000 muslims want to murder me. But 200,000,000 probably do.)
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