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Netanyahu launches campaign for his fifth term

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement on advancing the Likud Party primaries to February 2016 assures him that none of his potential rivals will have enough time to prepare.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem December 13, 2015. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTX1YGCE
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In recent weeks, since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu succeeded in passing the state budget on Nov. 19, he’s been tense and has been mulling over pessimistic political scenarios. Instead of enjoying his big political achievement in passing a budget with a narrow coalition of 61 members out of 120 Knesset seats, and the stability this achievement assures, exactly the opposite happened to Netanyahu: He started thinking about political calculations, as if he had not won an election less than a year ago on March 17.

Senior political sources in the coalition who are close to Netanyahu say that they’ve been astounded at the frenzy and disquiet coming from his direction from the moment the budget passed. In recent weeks, he has begun to plan political moves to entrench his position in the Likud Party and in the leadership of the right. Netanyahu’s goal, according to these sources, is to arrive at the next election standing at the head of a large right-wing bloc, if possible, together with Naftali Bennett, the chairman of HaBayit HaYehudi, and Moshe Kahlon, the chairman of Kulanu, or at least one of them.

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