Elections, Assassination Attempts and Netanyahu’s Remarkable History of Survival

A long political career

Netanyahu was first elected prime minister in 1996, defeating Shimon Peres by 29,457 votes. Likud received 50.4 per cent of the vote, compared with Labor’s 49.6 per cent, and Netanyahu has since served a cumulative 19 years as prime minister.

He remained in power through several difficult elections. In 2013, Yesh Atid, led by former journalist Yair Lapid, drew support from Netanyahu’s base, but a Likud-Yisrael-Beiteinu alliance enabled him to stay in office. In 2019, two inconclusive elections left neither Netanyahu nor Benny Gantz able to form a government.

Out of office and back

In 2021, a broad coalition led by Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett ended Netanyahu’s 12 consecutive years in office. He returned roughly 18 months later. His government’s planned judicial overhaul brought tens of thousands of people to weekly protests in 2023. Demonstrators called for the reforms to be abandoned and for Netanyahu to resign.

Corruption trial continues

Netanyahu has faced trial for six years in three criminal cases, which he denies. The allegations include claims that he promoted favourable regulations for media figures in return for positive coverage of himself and his family; he has described the case as a partisan witch hunt.

His cross-examination was completed in June 2026 after 98 hearings. Earlier that month, the court shifted to five sitting days a week to advance the case before the presiding judge retires. The trial had been delayed repeatedly, including during the war that followed the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Reported assassination plot

In late 2024, Israeli security services said they had arrested an Israeli citizen suspected of involvement in an Iranian plot to assassinate Netanyahu in August. The authorities said the businessman had been smuggled into Iran twice and paid to carry out missions. Netanyahu’s office said that the drone targe