Pleasing no one: Netanyahu puts election first with Gaza decision
Israel will be voting for the first time since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the deadliest ever against the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on March 19. | AFP-JIJI
Aug 11, 2026
Jerusalem – Faced with a divisive U.S.-led Gaza plan just before elections that could end his career, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to choose between pleasing his ally Donald Trump or his right-wing base.
In rejecting the plan, he may not please anyone.
The decision is a tactical and PR victory for Hamas, analysts say, with the Islamist movement publicly backing the deal under which it would disarm, without taking any steps yet to do so.
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