Former Netanyahu Aide Says Prime Minister May Quit if Poll Numbers Collapse

Aviv Bushinsky, a former communications adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in an interview on 103FM that Netanyahu’s political future may hinge on polling and on the fallout from a U.S.-Iran agreement. Bushinsky said that if Netanyahu sees he is trailing in polls and the opposition has a real chance to win a majority, “in my view he will quit.” He added that the most embarrassing outcome for Netanyahu would be losing to a former aide such as Naftali Bennett.

Bushinsky argued that despite public tensions, Netanyahu will not easily give up U.S. President Donald Trump’s support. “On the one hand Netanyahu remembers and bears grudges, but on the other hand he is very pragmatic,” he said, citing Netanyahu’s past relationship with Ehud Barak as an example of a political rival turned ally. He said Netanyahu needs Trump and still views the relationship as strong, especially because Trump’s administration includes evangelicals and influential Republicans who want to preserve the connection.

At the same time, Bushinsky said Netanyahu misread the situation around the emerging deal. With elections about 100 days away, he said it would make little sense to launch a conflict three months before voting, especially when Trump is focused on rising stock markets and lower oil prices. Bushinsky said the U.S. administration has also shifted internally, with Steve Witkoff no longer central, Pakistan’s prime minister unexpectedly leading the process, and J.D. Vance becoming more prominent. He quoted Vance as saying Israel would not like the deal.

Bushinsky said Netanyahu should have publicly embraced the agreement, especially its nuclear issue, and tried to sell it, instead of attempting to torpedo it. He suggested that the strike in Dahiya the day before may have been a bid to provoke an Iranian response and escalation. Calling it “the wrong gamble,” he said Netanyahu is now “left bitter himself.” Bushinsky also said Netanyahu looks politically humiliated, is failing to deliver practical results, and still needs Trump to produce something on another front, though he considers that unlikely.