Israeli PM Netanyahu's Likud party members discuss plans to oust him

Israeli ministers and lawmakers from the ruling Likud party are discussing a plan to oust current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli media reported.

Channel 13 News reported on Tuesday that the plan includes recruiting 61 lawmakers to pass a vote of no confidence on Netanyahu's government, and to form a new government without going to elections.

Channel 13 added that the Likud lawmakers fear that if Netanyahu stays at the party helm and then leads it to a loss in the next elections, most of those lawmakers will not be part of the Israeli political system.

It added that after the end of the military ground operation in Gaza, which so far shows no signs of concluding, the lawmakers will move ahead with their plans to have a parliamentary session to oust Netanyahu.

Declining support

To calm down opposition fears, the proposed Likud figure to head the government after Netanyahu would reportedly not run in the next elections.

The channel said, however, that chances of the plan succeeding are low since only 10 lawmakers from Likud are on board with the plan but it will need at least 15 Likud lawmakers to go ahead, according to Israeli law.

Netanyahu's government was sworn in on Dec. 29, 2022, following the November elections which gave his right-wing bloc a simple majority to form a new government.

The latest Israeli opinion polls showed that support for Netanyahu and the Likud Party has fallen significantly in favour of the opposition parties following Hamas’ surprise attack on Oct. 7 on Israel and amid the relentless Israeli retaliation in the month-plus since.