Netanyahu says his party will lose upcoming elections 'unless something changes'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in closed-door talks that his Likud party would lose the upcoming legislative elections "unless something changes."

Netanyahu acknowledged that his party lost 10 seats, according to Israel's public broadcaster KAN. "I do not know how to get them back," he reportedly said.

According to the broadcaster, Netanyahu’s remarks showed that he is skeptical of opinion polls that favor him and believes his party’s position is worse than reflected in those surveys.

Opinion polls indicate a decline in Likud’s support alongside gains for Yashar, led by Gadi Eisenkot, while polls conducted by groups close to the Israeli right show more favorable results for Netanyahu.

Earlier Wednesday, a poll conducted by Israel’s Channel 13 showed that if elections were held today, Eisenkot’s party would win 24 seats, down two from the channel’s previous poll last week.

Likud, meanwhile, would win 19 seats, compared with 23 in the previous poll.

According to the results, the bloc of Jewish opposition parties led by Eisenkot would secure 57 seats, compared with 48 for Netanyahu’s coalition bloc, while Arab parties would win 15 seats.

A government in Israel requires the support of at least 61 lawmakers in the 120-seat Knesset.

As for the candidates’ suitability for prime minister, Eisenkot leads with 46% support, compared with 35% for Netanyahu, while 19% said they “do not know,” according to the same poll.

The general elections are scheduled for Oct. 27 and are seen as crucial to Netanyahu’s political future as he faces accusations of corruption, authoritarianism and failure.

Netanyahu, 76, has headed what is described as the most right-wing government in Israel’s history since late December 2022.

He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes that have been committed in the Gaza Strip since Israel's deadly war on the enclave since October 2023.