JERUSALEM, May 20 (Reuters) - Israel moved closer on Wednesday to a snap election after lawmakers gave an initial nod to dissolve parliament, with opinion polls showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would lose the first national vote since the 2023 Hamas attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu on his election win, a Lapid spokesperson said, confirming the former premier's triumphant comeback at the head of a solidly right-wing alliance. Lapid's concession was an ...

Benjamin Netanyahu, who is Israel's longest-serving prime minister, has been projected to lose the upcoming national election.

JERUSALEM, May 20 - Israel's parliament approved a bill on Wednesday to dissolve itself, potentially bringing forward by a few weeks the next national election, which surveys predict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will lose.

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been focussed on “total victory” for Israel since the Hamas-led attack on the country on Oct. 7, 2023, his own victory in a coming national election is far from certain.

Move would require legislation in Knesset along with assessments from Israeli security agencies, particularly Shin Bet domestic security service.

They are all running on similar campaign ‌platforms, seeking to mobilise swing voters disappointed by Netanyahu, with messages of healing divisions and getting the country back on track ​after the trauma of October 7 and wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran that have hit Israel's economy and international standing.

Under a different Israeli government, many things that appear impossible today could suddenly become politically possible.

Violence by Jewish nationalists against Palestinians in the West Bank has been rising ever since Benjamin Netanyahu formed a government with far-right groups. It accelerated after the Hamas attacks of Oct.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a master political tactician, is likely to call early elections this spring or early summer — not by accident, but by design. His goal will be simple: maximize his chances of forming a new coalition and ...