Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, says that “especially now, when the coalition is fragile, there is an interest among the different actors to go for an early election.”

In his opinion, all parties have an interest in going to early elections, including Education Minister Naftali Bennett, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and the haredim. “The most important actor is, of course, the prime minister, who has both substantive political reasons and reasons that have to do with his legal status.”

From a legal standpoint, assuming the Attorney General will indict “the common wisdom is that it is in Netanyahu’s interest to go to early elections after the indictment, but before there is a final decision,” he said. “This is the right time for the prime minister to go for an election because it means he will enter the hearing process in a position assuming, as he hopes, [to] gain a fresh new mandate from the Israeli public. He will be able to claim, ‘Well, I’ve obtained a mandate from the Israeli people who were aware of the intention to indict me, but nevertheless have chosen to elect me for this position.’ This would make it more difficult for the attorney general to reverse a decision made by millions of Israelis.”