JERUSALEM — As Israel’s election campaign began this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not aim his opening shot at foes like Iran or Hamas. He addressed the more immediate concerns of many Israelis: their low bank accounts and empty wallets.

Seeking a fourth term in the snap election called for March, Mr. Netanyahu may feel relatively confident when it comes to his security credentials. The 50-day war he led against Palestinian militants in Gaza this summer had broad support in Israel. And on Tuesday, his defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, told a parliamentary committee that a recent wave of Palestinian violence against Israelis appeared to be diminishing.

But Mr. Netanyahu is apparently expecting a battle with rivals over the cost of living in Israel, which is increasingly unaffordable for many.

In what analysts here saw as a pre-emptive strike, Mr. Netanyahu announced at an economic conference on Monday that if re-elected, he was committed to introducing a law exempting food staples from the 18 percent value-added tax. He also promised to double the grant given to demobilized combat soldiers.