While the Likud’s ministers and Knesset members (MKs) are projecting a united front in support of party leader Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a growing number of them believe that his days at the party’s helm are numbered, sources in the party said to the Jerusalem Post.

In addition to the catastrophic events of October 7 and a growing sense amongst the party’s base that the prime minister will not deliver on his promise to destroy Hamas and return all hostages, MKs have noted the party’s poor performance in most polls – between 16 and 18 seats, compared to its current 32.

If the Likud will no longer be the ruling party in a future election, nearly all of its current 18 ministers (not including Netanyahu) will be relegated to serve as opposition MKs – and most of its current MKs will be out of a job. Therefore, behind the scenes MKs have begun to gravitate toward possible successors …

[This seems pretty widely expected, especially after the failures of October 7. Netanyahu remains at the helm in the unity government in part because he has credibility as a wartime leader, but also because it’s convenient for other Israeli politicos to have Netanyahu make the unpopular decisions that successful war prosecution requires. When the war slows down, Israelis will begin to demand accountability, at which point Netanyahu will likely be toast. — Ed]