Netanyahu says he will stand in Israel's next national election

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will stand in the country's next national election, his party said on Wednesday. The vote is scheduled for late October, and the announcement came after US President Donald Trump publicly questioned whether Netanyahu wanted to continue in politics. The statement adds fresh clarity to the political plans of Israel's longest-serving prime minister at a time of continuing war and domestic legal pressure.

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Likud said on Telegram that Netanyahu would run in the next elections and, "God Willing, he will win." Trump had earlier told ABC News that he was uncertain about Netanyahu's intentions, saying: "I don't know, he's had an amazing career. Does he want to continue?" The US president also referred to Netanyahu as a "wartime prime minister." Netanyahu had already said he would stand for re-election in the vote, which is due by late October. Netanyahu is 76 and has served as prime minister for nearly two decades across multiple terms.

He is currently on trial for corruption, which remains a significant backdrop to his political future. The row also comes after a tense exchange between the two leaders days earlier, which Netanyahu later downplayed in a television appearance. The latest statement from his party is therefore both a confirmation and a public rebuttal of speculation about whether he might step aside.

The development matters because Netanyahu remains central to Israel's political direction while the country is still dealing with the effects of three years of war. His position also carries implications for relations with Washington, given the public nature of Trump's remarks and the importance of US support to Israel. In domestic politics, the timing of the announcement keeps attention on the next election campaign even before the formal contest begins.

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It also reinforces the sense that Netanyahu intends to remain a dominant figure despite legal and political pressures. Netanyahu's political career has been unusually long and has spanned several periods in office. His current term began in December 2022, and his office has also disclosed a series of health issues in recent years.

Those include hospital admissions, hernia surgery in March 2024, prostate surgery in December 2024, and a pacemaker implant in July 2023 after a brief hospitalisation. The combination of health, legal and wartime pressures has made questions about his future a recurring feature of Israeli politics. What remains unclear is how the election campaign will develop and whether Netanyahu's confirmation will alter the tone of his relationship with Trump.

It is also not yet clear how voters will weigh the corruption trial, the war, and his long record in office when they go to the polls. The next key date is the late-October election itself, which will test whether Likud can turn the announcement into renewed support. For now, the party has made clear that Netanyahu intends to seek another term.

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