Netanyahu says he will run for office again

Prime Minister makes brief acknowledgement of his plan in TV interview

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will run for office in elections scheduled for November next year. He is already the country's longest-serving prime minister.

Appearing on a programme on the right-wing television station Channel 14, Mr Netanyahu was asked whether he intended to seek another term. "Yes," he replied.

When pressed on whether he expected to win, the veteran leader also responded: "Yes."

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As the leader of Likud, Israel's main right-wing party, Mr Netanyahu holds the record for the longest time served as Israel's prime minister – more than 18 years in total since 1996, although with interruptions.

In the last elections, Likud won 32 seats in Israel's parliament, while ultra-Orthodox allies of the party claimed 18 and the Religious Zionism alliance won 14, constituting a record showing for Israel's far right.

Since the start of the Gaza war, Mr Netanyahu has faced mounting criticism from families of Israeli hostages held in the enclave over his handling of negotiations with Hamas to retrieve the captives.

His current term also began with a controversial judicial overhaul plan that sparked months of mass protests, with tens of thousands of Israelis taking to the streets almost daily.

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Critics of the prime minister have claimed he thinks first about his own interests rather than those of the country he leads, an accusation that has dogged him throughout the Gaza war.

The governing coalition that he heads is dominated by right-wing politicians whose participation is needed to maintain its hold on power, with Mr Netanyahu accused of pandering to their interests.

Hardliners have floated leaving the government if the war ends on terms they find unsatisfactory, in particular if Israel fails to destroy Hamas and resettle Gaza.

Mr Netanyahu has been trailing in opinion polls since the outbreak of the war. Through much of the conflict, polling suggested that most Israelis wanted the hostages released as part of a deal rather than continued fighting in Gaza. Now that all the living captives have been freed, it is unclear whether he will be credited for their return.

Elections could take place much sooner than next November if the coalition buckles under the strain of post-ceasefire politics.