Likud candidate predicts Netanyahu will be next Israeli PM, will help hold Iran accountable

Israel is holding its fifth election since 2019 on Tuesday, after a majority in the Knesset once again could not be maintained. Likud party candidate Danny Danon believes this gives his party a great chance to regain power, and its leader Benjamin Netanyahu an opportunity to become Prime Minister once again.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett failed to hold onto the required 61-member majority when  two members defected to the opposition, and the government dissolved as a result. Danon is hopeful that his party will come out on top, as he thinks Netanyahu will be able to successfully maintain a coalition where Bennett failed.

“I hope that tonight we’ll know the results of this cycle, and Likud party which I represent will have a majority of the seats in the Parliament and we will be able to form a new government with Prime Minister Netanyahu as the head of this government,” Danon said Tuesday in a phone conversation with Fox News Digital.

Danon is one of the candidates on the Likud list, so he will likely serve as a member of Knesset should the party obtain enough seats in the Knesset, which he is confident they will. 

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“We don’t know the results yet, but from our data it looks like the turnout is going to be very high everywhere, but especially in the cities that are considered to be more supportive of the Likud party,” he said.

As Likud leader, Netanyahu would become prime minister if he can put together the necessary majority. He has a long history as prime minister, first serving in that role from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021.

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In his second stint, Netanyahu’s relationships with U.S. presidents have been a mixed bag. He and former President Barack Obama had a notoriously rocky relationship, although the two countries maintained a solid friendship, with the U.S. providing aid for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. Netanyahu and former President Donald Trump appeared to get along much better, as Trump did not try to pressure Israel into making unwanted concessions to Palestinians.

Netanyahu and President Biden have had ups and down but have stayed friendly after working together for decades. According to the New York Times, Biden was the only U.S. official to reach out to Netanyahu at the end of his first go-round as Prime Minister.

Danon believes that the U.S.-Israel relationship will remain solid no matter who wins in Israel’s election or the U.S. midterm elections, but whoever ends up in power could influence the direction the two countries take together.

“I think we have a strong bond. Regardless of the elections, but I think if we will win, if Netanyahu will return to his position as prime minister, we will be able to put the issue of Iran on the front lines and we will expect our colleagues in the U.S. also to address this threat,” Danon said.

Netanyahu and Biden have been at odds over negotiations over a new Iran nuclear deal, just as the Likud leader vehemently opposed the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action when Obama entered into it.. While Biden has been working towards a new deal after Trump exited the previous one, Netanyahu has cautioned that any new deal must be stronger than the JCPOA. Meanwhile, critics believe the current negotiations do not make a strong deal appear likely.

“You do not negotiate with them, you should apply sanctions and isolate Iran,” Danon said.

Netanyahu was in office during the establishment of the historic Abraham Accords, the agreements between Israel and several Arab nations. Danon, who was involved in those talks along with Netanyahu, looks forward to future progress on that front.

“I believe that we will see more countries joining this cycle of peace that we have with our neighbors,” he said.