Report: Netanyahu weighing moving elections up to September

By Ariela Karmel

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3 May 2026, 9:11 pm

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a state memorial ceremony for victims of terror attacks, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on April 21, 2026. (Dor Pazuelo/ Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing whether to call elections as early as September 1, rather than in late October as expected, according to an unsourced Channel 12 report.

According to the report, Netanyahu is facing growing pressure from ultra-Orthodox parties in his coalition to move the vote up to September, with the start of the Hebrew month of Elul seen as a politically advantageous time for mobilizing their base.

Netanyahu is said to favor keeping elections in late October to allow more time as political and security developments unfold, particularly regarding Iran, though a breakthrough could prompt him to move sooner.

At the same time, Hebrew media reports have also suggested that the prime minister may seek to hold early elections in order to avoid an election campaign overlapping with October 7 memorial events, a period marked by national mourning and public anger over the failures that occurred under the current government’s watch.