Israeli minister says discussions underway on possible early elections

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Monday that discussions are underway about holding early elections, potentially moving the date up from Oct. 27 to Sept. 1.

Cohen, a member of the Likud party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Army Radio that there are discussions about the possibility of holding the elections on Sept. 1, and the issue has been raised in recent days, with the time difference between that date and Oct. 27 not being significant.

The current Knesset’s term is set to end in October.

Earlier Monday, Channel 12 reported that religious parties are exerting heavy pressure on Netanyahu to hold early elections.

It added that the religious parties push to hold the polls on Sept. 1, while Netanyahu wants to keep the original election date of Oct. 27.

According to the channel, a final decision is expected to depend on developments related to Iran, which it described as “a decisive factor in Netanyahu’s timing considerations.”

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, where more than 72,000 people have been killed in a deadly assault.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul