The building had been facing problems for 40 years

An ‘eyesore’ building in a Cambridgeshire town centre has been redeveloped after more than 40 years of neglect. The site, known as ‘The Gap’ at 24 High Street in Wisbech, has been turned into a new shop and flats by Fenland District Council.

The building was once the site of Cook’s Butchers, but had been facing problems since the business collapsed more than 40 years ago. The council is now in the process of finding the first tenants for the shop and flats.

The redevelopment formed part of the council’s Wisbech High Street Project, which was launched in 2017 with £1.9 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The development was also supported by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s Market Towns Programme, which aims to improve business premises.

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Cllr Chris Seaton, Fenland District Council’s portfolio holder for Wisbech High Street projects, said: “We’re proud to have taken on this complex and challenging site to make what will be a long-lasting difference to the restoration of Wisbech High Street for generations to come.”

Repairs are also being carried out at other buildings on the High Street, including at 13-17, where derelict first floors have been brought back into use. The council are currently working on plans for 11-12 High Street, which are also derelict.

Everton, meanwhile, have picked up more points away from home so far this season but did beat Burnley in their most recent match here before losing to Arsenal in London. European qualification remains a possibility for the Toffees, currently a dark-horse in the Champions League battle, a win this evening would move them to within two points of Chelsea. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dom Smith at the ground.

Parts of the UK enjoyed breathtaking views of the Northern Lights overnight – and more is forecast for Saturday.

The natural light show, known as the aurora borealis, is one of nature’s “most spectacular displays”, according to the Met Office.

Pictures from Friday night featured waves of mostly green and purple light at Bamburgh in Northumberland in the UK, as well as in Estonia and Canada, while social media users posted images taken elsewhere, including Russia.

While the Northern Lights are mostly visible near the Arctic Circle and northern Scotland, the Met Office said “pale green and pink to vibrant reds, blues, and violets can sometimes light up the night sky, especially in the north of the UK”.

The Met Office said on Thursday there was a chance of seeing the northern lights “over the next couple of nights”, predicting sightings being “most likely across Scotland where skies are clear but perhaps into northern England too”.

What causes the Northern Lights?

The shimmering spectacle occurs when energy and charged particles released from the sun through coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares travel towards Earth on the solar wind and collide with the Earth’s magnetic field and upper atmosphere, interacting with gases to create spectacular displays of blue, purple, green, pink and red.

If the solar activity is strong enough, it will cause a geomagnetic storm.

In January, the Met Office said the solar maximum was “all but confirmed to have taken place in 2024 and 2025”, meaning solar activity on the surface of the sun “appears to be in a declining phase”.

But it said this phase “can be a period which can often bring strong events, as evidenced by last week’s aurora visibility as far south as northern Italy”.

Will we see them again soon?

Several things need to occur for the skies over the UK to dazzle again.

Any solar eruptions that do occur need to be aimed at Earth and cause a strong geomagnetic storm.

It also needs to be dark enough, with settled weather allowing clear skies to see the aurora.

What’s the best way to capture them?

While the Northern Lights are visible to the naked eye, the colours often appear faint and muted compared with those captured by camera.

To take better pictures of the aerial phenomena, Adobe recommends using manual camera settings and a wide aperture on a camera.

It suggests using low shutter speeds, up to 20 seconds, as well as setting the camera’s ISO value all the way to 2,000 or higher – such settings are usually available in smartphones’ camera settings.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be claimed by people who need additional help with daily living tasks

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PIP claimants do not need to inform the DWP about every change to their circumstances, official rules show. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be claimed by people over 16 and under State Pension age who require extra assistance with daily living activities or mobility due to a long-term illness, disability or mental or physical health condition.

In Scotland, the benefit has been replaced by Adult Disability Payment (ADP), which follows similar eligibility criteria as PIP. A successful claim for PIP or ADP currently provides between £29.20 and £187.45 each week in additional financial support.

That equates to between £116.80 and £749.80 every four-week payment period. Both disability benefits are offered at the same rates – despite the difference in name and welfare administration body – to avoid a two-tier benefits system, reports the Daily Record.

While many recipients may be familiar with the list of changes in circumstances that must be reported to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to continue receiving uninterrupted payments, there are several changes that do not need to be declared.

Changes you do not need to report to DWP

PIP is not a means-tested benefit and can be paid whether the claimant is working or not, so there is no need to inform the DWP if you make any of these six changes:

• You are made redundant
• You leave a job
• You change roles at work – unless the amount of help you need has changed
• You take retirement
• You stop claiming other benefits
• You start a new job

Changes you must report to DWP

However, guidance on the GOV.UK website states you must contact the PIP enquiry line if:

• Your condition has worsened and you’re not expected to live more than six months
• You go into hospital or a care home
• You go abroad (for more than four weeks)
• You are imprisoned or held in detention
• Your personal details change – for example, your name, address or doctor
• The help you need or your condition changes

The GOV.UK website further notes: “You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change in your circumstances.”

Therefore, if you’ve recently relocated or changed to a different GP, don’t delay reporting the alteration any longer – particularly if you’re receiving PIP in Scotland, as Social Security Scotland will rely on the information held by the DWP when you’re moved to the new devolved benefits system.

How to notify DWP of a change in circumstances

Before placing the call, you’ll require your National Insurance number, bank account details and GP name and address for the DWP to confirm your identity.

• Telephone: 0800 121 4433 (option 5)
• Textphone: 0800 121 4493
• Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 121 4433
• Video relay service for British Sign Language (BSL) users – check you can use the service here.

Veteran golf commentator Ewen Murray witnessed horrific abuse directed at Rory McIlroy’s family at the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage, prompting him to step back from Sky Sports commentary after 35 years

Veteran golf commentator Ewen Murray has revealed how witnessing the appalling abuse directed at Rory McIlroy’s family at last year’s Ryder Cup left him wanting to retire from broadcasting.

Murray has been a central figure in Sky Sports’ golf coverage for 35 years but chose to take a step back after being disturbed by the scenes at Bethpage in New York.

The 71 year old, who will rejoin the Sky Sports team for the major championships this season, told the Sliced Podcast: “On the Saturday, I had two hours off after they teed off in the afternoon,

“Because I don’t hear tremendously well, I thought I’d go out to the 9th, 10th and 11th which were quite close to the television village.

“I heard stuff in that half hour that I can’t repeat to you, it’s that bad. Not fired at Rory but at Rory’s family. I walked back and I thought ‘do you really need to be part of this anymore?’

“That’s when I decided to finish commentary. By the time I got on the plane on the Monday, I looked out over New York and thought its been a fantastic journey, but if that’s our future, I really don’t want any part of it.”

The offensive chants that sections of the American crowd directed at their European rivals, particularly McIlroy, sparked significant controversy during the team event.

And Murray believes American Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley bears some responsibility for the incidents, with the experienced commentator also expressing strong disapproval of Heather McMahan’s behaviour.

McMahan, a comedian and actress employed by the PGA of America to energise the crowd positioned near the first tee, was subsequently removed after leading chants of “F*** you Rory” through a megaphone.

“The PGA of America should be ashamed employing a woman at the back of the first tee to behave the way she behaved,” Murray added. “I actually found out, thankfully, she doesn’t have kids. So we’re not going to see the next generation of that. I thought her performance was disgraceful.

“If Keegan Bradley who came and supported it and waved his hands to get the crowd to get louder… if he spent as much time looking at his pairings, [he] may well have been a winning Ryder Cup captain. They spent way too much energy on something that was disgusting and really had no place in our game.”

Murray also condemned PGA of America president Don Rea for neglecting to denounce the abuse being aimed at the European players and for congratulating Europe on “retaining the Ryder Cup” in the aftermath rather than acknowledging they had won outright as they had done.

“[I thought] where have you been for the last few hours?” Murray added. “They didn’t retain. They had a putt to retain which they knocked in, then they had a putt to win which they knocked in.

“I just thought what a terrible organisation. I shouldn’t say that because my father was captain of the PGA in Scotland in the mid-seventies so it was very much part of growing up and my father’s involvement in that and every other profession involved in the PGA but I don’t think they did themselves any favours at all.”

Criminal Record has brought together a round-up of today’s biggest crime stories.

Every day on Criminal Record we will be bringing you a round-up of the biggest crime stories of the day.

Whether it’s a child killer making a bid for freedom or another attack in Scotland’s gangland war – this is the place where you’ll get the low-down.

If you love to read about crime – this is the place to be every day.

Here’s what has been making the news across the country on Saturday.

Ross McGill “leaned on European ultras groups”

Mob boss Ross McGill transformed the Union Bears from a ragtag bunch with a handful of followers into the ‘biggest group in the UK’ after visiting clubs in Europe.

A former member of the Rangers ultra group explained to the Record how McGill, 32, took over as capo of the group at the age of 18 and was determined to make them a bigger outfit than the Green Brigade.

The source revealed how the mobster visited clubs in Europe to learn his trade but this led to him getting involved in criminality after he hooked up with ultras in Denmark.

He said: “McGill had been with the Union Bears for a few years before he was made leader and his main focus at first was just to outshine Celtic’s group.

“He knew he had to learn fast so decided to start visiting clubs across Europe, and would just reach out to the ultras and pitch up alone.

“Rangers have a historical link with Hamburg SV in Germany and he went over there around 20 times and built up close ties with the Chosen Few ultras.”

Prostitute killer ‘still at large’

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The family of a prostitute murdered almost 35 years ago believe her killer is still out there.

Diane McInally’s battered body was found in undergrowth in Pollok Park, Glasgow, in October, 1991. She had been working the streets for a number of years to feed a heroin habit.

Two men, now dead, were charged with her murder at the time but never stood trial.

Diane’s aunt Elizabeth “Dolly” Glover – one of only a few surviving family members – believes there is another possible suspect out there.

The great grandmother says Diane’s parents, stepfather, partner, and brother and sister have all died without seeing justice but she hasn’t given up hope.

Dolly added: “You often wonder is there still somebody out there who’s really done it. We know according to the police it was a bad death she got.

“Diane would have fought back unless there was more than one there. There is no way she would have laid down to them.

“There could have been someone else there.”

Hero brothers

Dramatic footage has shown the moment hero brothers chased a masked gang who tried to raid their neighbours’ shop. Thieves tried to break into Leslie Mini Market on Leslie High Street at around 2.30am on Thursday, March 19.

No items or cash were taken and an investigation is underway to find out exactly what happened. Fatima Hussein, 62, and husband Zahid Hussein, 67, who have owned Leslie Mini Market for over 30 years, were sleeping in their flat above the shop when neighbour, Euan, chapped their door alerting them to the incident.

He and brother Scott, who live across the road, had looked out their window after their dog Buddy started barking and saw four masked men trying to force their way into the store, prompting them to courageously intervene.

Footage taken at the scene shows the brothers chasing the culprits, who were driving a white car and reportedly had English accents, up the high street after they pick up a fifth accomplice a few yards away.

While the motor is stationary, Euan takes a swing at the car window in a bid to smash it so the men can’t flee. But the criminals reverse back erratically before charging forward at Euan, seemingly in an attempt to mow him down.

In a terrifying near-miss, the gang end up crashing into a wall, forcing them to abandon the motor and escape on foot. In the last part of the clip, the burly brothers can be seen charging towards them, seemingly unfazed.

After the men disappear into the night, Euan then slams one of the car doors shut and inspects his arm, which was injured in the run-in, while Scott dashes up the road to get help.

Faslane naval base

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A man and a woman have been charged after trying to enter Faslane Naval Base.

Police Scotland have confirmed that a 34-year-old Iranian man and a 31-year-old Romanian woman have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident at His Majesty’s Naval Base, Clyde.

The incident happened at 5pm on Thursday at the Faslane site, based on the Gare Loch in Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute. It is home to the core of the UK’s submarine fleet and the Trident nuclear deterrent.

Unconfirmed reports have suggested that the pair are spies. It is understood that they did not try to force their way into the base. They asked if they could enter but were refused permission and were then arrested shortly afterwards.

The pair are due to appear at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Monday, March 23.

Police said “enquries are ongoing”.

Man ‘wielding knife’ in Fife housing estate

A man has been charged after allegedly wielding a knife in Fife.

Police officers raced to Lawrence Court in Buckhaven at 9.05pm on Friday night. It followed reports of a disturbance on a housing estate.

A 44-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with carrying a bladed weapon. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

Images taken at the scene showed two police vans and a marked car parked on the street. A number of officers could be seen standing outside a block of flats.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been slated in two devastating exposés that take aim at their charity work and businesses, but one royal expert believes these attacks have been particularly disastrous for the couple

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been the target of a series of blistering attacks this week: first from royal author Tom Bower in his new book, and then by Variety, who launched a damning attack on the Sussexes partnership with Netflix.

The Duke and Duchess are the main target of Bower’s new royal book titled Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family, which was serialised by The Times, and detailed numerous claims about Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the Royal Family, as well as how they have navigated life since leaving the Firm and moving to California.

READ MORE: King Charles to get ‘display of military might’ from Donald Trump on controversial tripREAD MORE: Meghan Markle gives glimpse of Princess Lilibet as she helps plug new £200 gift boxes

Just days after the serialisation hurled accusations such as how Queen Camilla told a friend that Harry had been ‘brainwashed’ by Meghan, a tell-all from a group of Netflix insiders told Variety that the Sussex’s relationship with Netflix is in jeopardy.

Harry and Meghan have not stayed quiet during the influx of accusations against them, issuing a damning statement against Tom Bower’s book. And according to former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, their statement spoke volumes.

Jennie told the Mirror: “Whatever the truth behind Tom Bower’s explosive account of the continuing tensions between the Sussexes and the Windsor household, one thing is for sure: his words have hit a very raw nerve.

The royal expert examined how the book took aim at “Harry’s two great passions: his wife and the Invictus Games”, explaining why the Sussexes felt the need to issue such a blistering statement.

“For Harry, any attack on his wife is treason and provokes a visceral response: he will defend her to the end of the earth. And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Jennie said.

As for the takedown from Variety, Jennie believes the article would’ve hurt Harry and Meghan, as the publication is renowned for their connections to Hollywood, while the Sussexes are seeming to focus on their celebrity brand

Jennie said: “Given that Harry and Meghan are now pretty much regarded as celebrities rather than royal, the brutal takedown by Variety will hurt. It is, after all, Hollywood‘s entertainment bible and as such it carries a lot of influence. The criticism of the couple – and particularly of Meghan – appears to be gleaned from multiple sources, which does suggest there’s some truth in it.”

The royal expert added that the couple would be feeling deflated from the spate of attacks, given how such a damning report into their business could possibly hurt Meghan’s own ventures, such as As Ever, which has just broken free of their deal with Netflix.

“It must have been a hard read for the Sussexes,” Jennie said. “I’m sure they’re extremely annoyed, rather hurt and pretty fed up, but I think Meghan is a real fighter and she’s doing everything she can to make her As Ever brand a success. I think she’ll probably succeed.”

Jennie added that it is unlikely that the Royal Family would be keeping up with the articles written about Harry and Meghan, but would have one scathing thought if they were to see their fight to hold onto their public reputation.

“I don’t think the Royal Family will take much notice of Tom Bower‘s book or of the Variety article,” she said. “I truly believe they have more to think about and deal with than Harry and Meghan‘s perceived popularity problem. But, if they do see the headlines, a natural reaction would be to think ‘Well, you’ve made your bed, now lie in it’.”

Ruben Dias has admitted Manchester City needed a huge overhaul to move on from their greatest generation and said their recent signings have given them an added hunger to win trophies.

Pep Guardiola broke up his treble-winning team by signing 13 players over three transfer windows in 2025 and 2026, at a cost of around £430m.

Meanwhile, some of City’s modern greats – and Dias’ long-time teammates – left, including Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Manuel Akanji and Ederson.

City’s new-look team could win their first piece of silverware together when they face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

Defender Dias said: “Every player that came in, all of them kind of have this winning mentality. Independent of having won or not so much in the past, they come with this hunger. I feel like that’s very much there to see, so that adds up to our purpose and it’s just extra fuel.”

Guardiola has confirmed goalkeeper James Trafford will start at Wembley, ahead of another of last summer’s buys in Gianluigi Donnarumma, and while defender Marc Guehi is ineligible, a host of other recent recruits are in contention to figure, including Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, Omar Marmoush, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Abdukodir Khusanov.

City’s most successful side ever came to an end after a difficult season last year which included a run of nine defeats in 12 games and Dias felt change was required.

He explained: “We talked about it and it was something we did and I feel like it’s taken a very much better route now and it was needed. So obviously lots of things changed after that period, we need to set the standard for a new season. It was needed and I felt like we did it at the right time.”

When Donnarumma arrived, his passing was deemed a weakness in his game by some onlookers but Dias said the Italian has been better with the ball at his feet than he expected.

“I think he surprised everybody,” he said. “People talk so much these days and by the time he arrived here I’d heard a lot more talk than actually games that I’ve seen him play and I’ve obviously seen a lot of his games but I don’t see every week. I was very quick to run into the fact that he’s not bad with his feet. Okay, Eddie [Ederson] was a different kind of style and obviously a different approach but he can still do everything we need.”

With control of Congress on the ballot in November, state attorney general races can get lost in the shuffle. But just outside the election spotlight, there are partisan groups, corporate interests and advocacy networks revving up campaigns for offices that are playing a growing role in American politics.

The group of Republican organizations dedicated to these contests reported raising a record amount of money last year, pulling in $29 million in preparation for the 2026 midterms. Democratic counterparts said they brought in $28 million, twice as much as usual at this stage of the election cycle.

Some 30 seats are on the ballot this year. Money is pouring in from technology companies, tobacco companies and others, all of which could face scrutiny from states’ top legal officers. The money includes millions from law firms, unions and ideological groups, and it reflects the rising stature of the job in national policy and as a springboard for higher office.

“Because we try to solve so many of our problems with lawsuits, the office of attorney general has become more important,” said James Tierney, a former Maine attorney general who and teaches about the position at Harvard.

Attorneys general are key to political benches

At least six current attorneys general are running for governor this year.

Ten current governors first won the position as they wrapped up their attorney general terms, including three elected in 2024.

When Kamala Harris, a former California attorney general, ran for president in 2024, three of the finalists to be her running mate — Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — were each a former attorney general serving as governor.

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On the Republican side, President Donald Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, used to have that job in Florida.

Adam Piper, executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association, said the political potential for those who win the office is a reason donors are increasingly interested.

“The AGs used to be the underdogs in the races” for top-of-the-ballot offices, he said. “Now, they’re the favorite in them.”

Some of the races that are priorities for the party organizations are in swing states where Democrats won in 2022: Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin. Democrats think they could have a chance to gain up seats in Republican-leaning Georgia, Kansas and Ohio. Republicans are targeting pickups in Minnesota and New York.

In Texas, flexing legal muscle across state lines

In Texas, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy — one of a line of current and former members of Congress from both parties to run for attorney general in recent years — is facing state Sen. Mayes Middleton in a May 26 runoff for the party’s nomination.

Ken Paxton, the current officeholder, is in a runoff for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate against incumbent John Cornyn, another former attorney general. Paxton made headlines when he was acquitted of corruption charges at an impeachment trial and for his aggressive efforts to investigate gender-affirming care of minors and abortion cases, even across state lines.

Both Roy and Middleton have pledged to stop what they call the “Islamification” of Texas. Middleton said in a debate last month that if he were elected, he would investigate financier and liberal donor George Soros, the subject of some conservative conspiracy theories, “for the crimes I believe he’s committed.”

Roy laid out one major appeal of leaving Congress for a state office. “I’ll be one of one instead of one of 435 (members of the U.S. House) fighting for you,” he said.

The winner will face the winner of a Democratic runoff between state Sen. Nathan Johnson and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski. Any statewide election victory by a Democrat would be considered an upset.

Frequent lawsuits against Trump’s administration

This month, a group of 24 Democratic officials — 22 attorneys general and two governors in states where the attorneys general are Republican — sued the Trump administration over the president’s attempt to impose tariffs on imports after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an earlier version of the trade penalties.

More than a year after Trump returned to office, Democratic officials have a lot of practice at this. By the tally of the Progressive State Leaders Committee, an arm of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, they have filed more than 80 lawsuits against the administration and have had favorable rulings in the majority of them.

Sean Rankin, the association’s president, said members of his group are “the only lever to hold Trump accountable” because Congress is compliant and controlled by Republicans.

In Arizona, the fate of a high-profile prosecution

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat who won the seat in 2022 by just 280 votes, said in an interview that the lawsuits against the administration — her office has joined 38 — have saved Arizona $1.5 billion, including by keeping money flowing for programs in AmeriCorps, Head Start and universities.

“If you don’t have an attorney general who is willing to stand up to the federal government,” she said, “your state is going to get hurt.”

She was the first attorney general to file criminal charges against Kalshi, the prediction market company, accusing it of operating an illegal gambling business.

Rodney Glassman, one of the Republicans vying to face Mayes in November, has made withdrawing from Mayes’s challenges to the administration’s policies a centerpiece of his campaign. In an interview, he called the filings “clickbait” and based in partisan politics.

“She has reorganized the office to go after Republicans,” Glassman said.

He has been asking smaller donors for $1 for every lawsuit that Mayes has joined against the administration.

Glassman, who faces state Senate President Warren Peterson in the June 22 primary, said that if he were to win in November, he would stop the criminal prosecutions Mayes has pursued against Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others for trying to overturn the president’s 2020 election loss in the state.

A Republican victory could accelerate Trump’s attempts to pursue falsehoods about voter fraud in Arizona. Peterson, whose campaign did not respond to interview requests, recently handed over election records to the FBI.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon have to decide when to hold Israel’s next elections. But with war raging on multiple fronts and no end in sight, Israel’s enemies in Iran and Lebanon may help make that decision for him.

The stakes could hardly be higher: A victory will add to his legacy as Israel’s longest-ruling leader and fend off, if not quash altogether, calls for a reckoning over the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks that triggered 2 ½ years of war across the region. A defeat risks turning him into the highest-profile political casualty of that attack — the deadliest in Israel’s history — which still casts a long shadow over the country’s psyche and already has led to a string of high-profile resignations and firings.

Here is a closer look at what’s at stake for Netanyahu, and how the wars with Iran and Hezbollah could help determine his fate.

He faces an October deadline

Netanyahu’s government is in the final months of its four-year term and is required to hold elections by the end of October. But Netanyahu has the ability to dissolve the governing coalition before then and call early elections. Israeli governments rarely last their full terms.

With this deadline looming, Netanyahu can choose a date when he thinks he and his religious and nationalist partners have the best chance to win.

Since elections are scheduled three months ahead of time, he could move now to schedule a vote in late June, just before the summer vacation season, or wait until the fall.

A decisive victory in war could bring early elections

A quick campaign and decisive victory over Iran could boost Netanyahu’s public standing and give him the confidence to call an early election. He could boast of Israel’s military power and the close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump that made this war possible, while claiming to have reshaped the region to Israel’s advantage after the Oct. 7 attack.

But three weeks into the war, that scenario looks increasingly unlikely.

Iran continues to fire missiles at Israel each day, disrupting the lives of millions of anxious and exhausted voters. Israel’s war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon is intensifying, and with Iran disrupting the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf and upending the global economy, Trump has given no indication when the war may end. Members of the “America First” wing of the Republican Party have begun to accuse Israel of dragging the U.S. into a needless war.

Recent opinion polls in Israel indicate that while Israelis overwhelmingly support the war, Netanyahu and his political coalition don’t appear to be benefiting.

In this environment, there is little incentive for Netanyahu to push up the election date, said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s any remarkable change in Israeli public opinion,” he said. “He’d rather buy more time and exhaust the full term that is available to him.”

Netanyahu appears to be leaning toward a fall election

Netanyahu still has a few weeks to make a decision. But for now, he appears to be leaning toward a fall election. At a news conference last week, Netanyahu said he hopes elections will be in “September or October.”

That would give Netanyahu, the ultimate political survivor, a few more months to rebuild his popularity.

A prolonged war could make this more difficult, raising the risk of additional Israeli casualties and demoralizing and further exhausting the public. Northern Israel has come under especially heavy fire from Hezbollah in recent days, and residents, including people in traditional Netanyahu strongholds, have voiced anger over Israel’s failure to halt the attacks.

On the global stage, a drawn-out conflict could raise the likelihood of disagreements with Trump. It also could further tarnish Israel’s international standing after the heavily criticized war in Gaza, for which Netanyahu has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, allegations he denies.

Plesner says that a narrow window in early September, just before the monthlong holiday season, looks like the best time for Netanyahu to hold the vote.

Otherwise, the election will take place close to the Oct. 7 anniversary, when Israelis are again reminded of that tragic day.