Netanyahu doesn’t say whether he’ll quit politics if he loses election: ‘I intend to win’

By Nava Freiberg

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Today, 9:17 pm

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Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits a cafe in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, ahead of Israel’s upcoming general election, October 14, 2026. (Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declines to say whether he would retire from political life if he loses the upcoming election.

“I intend to win, and I don’t want to get into hypotheticals,” says Netanyahu, who will turn 77 a week before the vote, during his Kan public broadcaster appearance, when asked directly whether he would quit politics following a defeat.

“You know, I’ve been written off so many times already,” he adds, saying he approaches every election as though he will lose unless he campaigns with “full force.”