Israeli Prime Minister Says May Call Early General Elections

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he may call snap general elections but still hoped for his cabinet to work until the end of its term in November 2019.

The Israeli ruling coalition has been in crisis due to the demand of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism political alliance to exempt its voters from conscription, which was opposed by Netanyahu's secularist allies.

"What I want is to be able to complete the term of this government, which is about November ’19… If the coalition agrees, that’s what we’ll do. If not, we’ll go to elections," Netanyahu said on Wednesday as quoted by The Times of Israel newspaper.

According to polls, Netanyahu's Likud party is expected to win the snap election even despite the fact that the Israeli prime minister might face corruption charges following inquiries into two criminal cases.

In February, the Israeli police said it had collected enough evidence to support claims that Netanyahu committed fraud and took bribes. The police then handed over the investigative materials and its indictment recommendations to the Israeli attorney general. Under the Israeli law, Netanyahu can continue governing the country at least until the prosecutor's office officially presses charges against him.

Commenting on the accusations, Netanyahu proclaimed his innocence and pledged to continue governing the country and to lead his party into the next election whenever it took place.