Four years later: Did Netanyahu's gov't deliver on its many 2022 campaign promises? - analysis

BySHIR PERETSJULY 26, 2026 08:09Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a fixture of Israeli politics for so long that his campaign promises can start to blur into one another, as every time elections roll around, the country hears a familiar chorus of pledges on cost of living, security, and reform that's been sung for years.This election cycle, however, is different in one important respect. For the first time, Netanyahu has carried a coalition through a full four-year term without it collapsing early. That staying power makes this a rare moment to ask a question that usually gets cut short by early elections: not "what did he promise," but "what did this coalition actually accomplish with the time it had?"Cost of livingWhen Netanyahu promised to lower the cost of living in 2022, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) had Israel ranked as the most expensive developed country in the world. At the time, price levels were 38% higher than the OECD average, with the minimum wage sitting at NIS 5,300 per month and the average household income was estimated at approximately NIS 22,013.A vendor continues selling at Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market during the war with Iran, March 2026. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)According to the National Insurance Institute, nearly 2 million Israelis fell below the poverty line that year, including 873.3 thousand children and 152.5 thousand senior citizens.Today, the OECD still ranks Israel among the five most expensive countries, and housing and food continue to be the biggest drivers of high prices.The minimum wage stands at NIS 6,443.85 per month, and the average household income is closer to NIS 24,000, although exact data for the year cannot be calculated yet.In 2022, Israel’s inflation was at a high that hadn’t been seen since 2008, when Ehud Olmert led the country. This year, Israel is on track to remain within the Bank of Israel's annual target range of 1%–3%, but the overall cost of living in the country remains higher than most of the world.Free education for young childrenIn 2022, Netanyahu had placed high importance on expanding free education for children from birth to age three, as a way to both ease the cost of living and help parents return to the workforce.In April 2023, Netanyahu announced that his plan would include committing NIS 2 billion to building state-funded daycare centers, as well as subsidies for parents to help pay for childcare.At the time, this plan was expected to reduce costs for about 25% of children, largely because most children were not in the supervised daycare system and there were too few available places.THE INSTITUTE has quickly materialized into a thriving community of 140 students aged three to 10. (credit: Abravanel Institute Cécile Berdugo)While the October 7 massacre did not halt the program entirely, there were many disruptions, and funds had to be diverted to emergency recovery from the war.As of 2026, Israel still does not provide free preschool or daycare for all children from birth to age three. Families continue to pay for most childcare, although many do receive subsidies.Housing and infrastructureNetanyahu's 2022 platform promised increased construction of housing units, and continued investment in roads, rail, and public transportation.On housing, the government's approach centered on streamlining planning approval and increasing housing starts.Netanyahu’s government’s continued push to develop more towns in Israel’s periphery and the West Bank has led to expanding housing options on an accelerated scale, though OECD data shows the construction rate still remains behind population growth.The Israel-Hamas War, of course, slowed the rate of construction, and damage from missile strikes meant the government had to divert focus to repairing destroyed homes rather than building new ones.Gaps in Israel’s grid capacity, public transport systems, waste treatment facilities, and regulatory frameworks mean that many innovations to improve the environment cannot be deployed at a meaningful scale. (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)More notably than the housing, the fact is that Israel’s roads - and the traffic on them - are some of the worst in the OECD, and nothing the government has done can seem to fix it, as congestion has continued to worsen despite increased investment.Rail, light rail, ports, broadband, and energy generation all improved measurably since 2022, but roads and public transit - the areas most directly tied to daily commuting and, by extension, housing accessibility - remained the weakest links.Traffic congestion in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area ranks among the worst in the OECD, as public transport remains comparatively undersized, and the bureaucratic procedures to expand Israel’s infrastructure are notoriously slow-going.While investment has increased on all infrastructure fronts, nothing has successfully kept pace with population growth, and the planning and permitting delays have left a gap the government couldn’t close.Strengthening governanceNetanyahu's 2022 platform included a pledge to crack down on crime, particularly organized crime and violence in Arab communities, while giving police greater authority.Over the past few years, Arab murder victims rose from 116 in 2022 to a record 252 in 2025, according to the Abraham Initiatives, and with nearly 150 recorded by July 1, 2026, it is on a similar trajectory.Firearms remained the weapon in 85–90% of Arab-sector murders throughout the period, pointing to continued illegal weapons circulation despite the pledge for greater police authority.Thousands attend a protest against the violence in the Arab community, in Tel Aviv. January 31, 2026. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)Even as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir continues to push for police crackdowns across various sectors, including countrywide raids against organized crime, illegal weapons, and drugs, there remains a growth in extortion and protection-money schemes targeting businesses and contractorsThe Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime continued to list Israel among countries facing significant organized-crime challenges, citing extortion, human trafficking, illegal firearms, and infiltration of legitimate businesses.Public confidence reflected this trajectory: by the end of 2025, roughly 65% of Israelis reported little to no faith in the Israel Police, according to Israel Democracy Institute polling, with only about a third of the public expressing trust in the force.National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir waves the Israeli flag as he tours the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, May 14, 2026 (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)Regional securityThroughout 2022, Netanyahu campaigned on the slogan “Only Likud Can,” insisting that only Likud - with him at the helm - could restore deterrence, and vowed to take a tougher approach toward terrorism, Hamas, and Iran.From the day Netanyahu was elected until October 6, 2023, over 2,000 rockets and missiles were fired toward Israel, with most being during the May 2023 Operation Shield and Arrow.The aftermath of Hamas's Nova music festival massacre in Re'im, southern Israel, on October 7, 2023. Picture taken November 2, 2023 (credit: Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)At least 3,000 rockets were fired at Israel by Hamas during the first few hours of the October 7, 2023 massacre, with official estimates from the IDF putting the total number of the day closer to 5,000.Overall, in the past four years, some 17,000 rockets and other projectiles have been fired toward Israeli territory from Gaza, nearly 13,000 fired from Lebanon, 300 from Yemen, and 70 from Syria.Additionally, the Iranian regime has fired approximately 1,150 missiles toward Israel across multiple rounds of fighting from April 2024 onward.Destroyed building in central Israel following Iranian missile strikes on February 28, 2026. (credit: CHEN SCHIMMEL)Thousands of Israeli citizens, both civilians and soldiers alike, have been killed due to the ongoing wars on various fronts.In March 2026, only 13% of Jewish Israelis believed negotiations with the Palestinian Authority would lead to peace in the coming years, according to the Tel Aviv University Peace Index.Additionally, IDI polling from late 2025 found that less than half of Jewish Israelis believed there was a high likelihood of a regional peace process beginning at all.Palestinians take control of an Israeli tank after crossing the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 7, 2023. (credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)Four years is long enough to answer the question a snap election usually cuts short: what a government does with the time it's given, not just what it promises at the podium.The record across these various areas is mixed. Cost of living remains largely unchanged; Israel is still among the world's most expensive countries, even as inflation has cooled. Childcare subsidies expanded, but the universal system Netanyahu campaigned on wasn't reached. Housing and infrastructure did see real investment, with more units built, more rail and port capacity online, but growth in both areas trailed population demand.On governance, crime and organized-crime indicators rose over the period, alongside a decline in public trust in police. And on regional security, the term brought October 7 and two additional active fronts, a very different trajectory than the deterrence Netanyahu's 2022 campaign promised to restore.October 7 reshaped nearly every one of these aspects, redirecting budgets and attention toward a war no one anticipated in 2022, context that matters when judging the past four years. Even so, the space between promise and outcome will remain a large part of what voters weigh when Israel returns to the polls in October.Follow us on Google