Tel Aviv, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing a plan to bring forward the country’s next general election to June 2026, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported. That would move the vote up by five months from its current date in November 2026.
According to Kan, which was cited by other Israeli media, Netanyahu wants to lock in a major diplomatic win first—ideally normalizing relations with either Saudi Arabia or Indonesia. The prime minister is said to be seeking at least one new pact that could strengthen his political position ahead of an early vote.
Under Israeli law, the government can dissolve the Knesset, or parliament, and call elections before the scheduled date, a step that requires presidential approval. The mechanism gives a sitting prime minister room to time an election for strategic advantage.
Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the reports.
The diplomatic push builds on the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered agreements of 2020 that established ties between Israel and four Arab nations: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.
Regional analysts say a deal with Saudi Arabia remains the ultimate goal of this US-backed normalization effort.
Saudi Arabia prospects
A breakthrough with Saudi Arabia would mark a historic realignment in the Middle East. The kingdom is the region’s economic heavyweight and the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina.
Kan assessed the chances of a deal with Riyadh as “reasonable,” pointing to renewed US engagement. Former US President Donald Trump, whose administration brokered the 2020 accords, said Friday he was optimistic about expanding them. “I hope to see Saudi Arabia go in, and I hope to see others go in,” Trump told Fox News.
“I think when Saudi Arabia goes in, everybody goes in.” He added that he had “some excellent conversations” with interested parties “even as recently as, like, yesterday.”
The central obstacle remains the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In February 2024, the Saudi Foreign Ministry reiterated its “unwavering position” that there will be no diplomatic ties with Israel without an “irreversible path” to an independent Palestinian state.
Indonesia and the OECD
Indonesia—the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country—was the second possibility mentioned by Kan, though the broadcaster rated the odds of a deal with Jakarta as “low.”
Israel and Indonesia do not have formal diplomatic relations, and Indonesia has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause.
Speculation about a possible opening has focused on Indonesia’s bid to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based group of 38 developed economies. Accession requires unanimous approval from all members, including Israel.
In April 2024, Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, citing officials, reported that a discreet arrangement had been discussed: Israel would refrain from vetoing Indonesia’s OECD application in exchange for Jakarta establishing formal ties.
Indonesia’s foreign ministry strongly denied the report at the time, saying no normalization talks were underway and reaffirming Indonesia’s “unwavering support for Palestine’s independence.”
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who took office in October 2024, has since adopted a balanced public stance. Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, he called for a two-state solution. “We must have an independent Palestine, but we must also recognize and guarantee the safety and security of Israel,” Prabowo said.
Renewed speculation this week followed Israeli media reports that President Prabowo was set to visit Israel—claims Israel’s foreign ministry denied.