Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a snap general election for early April – despite apparently having staved off previous threats to the stability of his coalition.

In this breaking news edition of Haaretz Weekly, editor-in-chief Aluf Benn speculates on the logic behind the prime minister's timing and says that, by holding an election seven months earlier than expected, Netanyahu has potentially deflected two of the main threats to him winning a fifth term as prime minister: possible criminal charges for corruption, bribery and breach of trust – and an American peace plan which could be impossible for his supporters to swallow.

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