Israel’s government has announced early elections for the beginning of April, setting the stage for a campaign on terms that appear favourable to Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister.

Just weeks ago, the government looked on the verge of a chaotic collapse but Mr Netanyahu and his coalition partners announced Monday they had agreed unanimously to keep the government together until the election.

"With God's help, we will win," Mr Netanyahu said. He hailed his government's "outstanding achievements", including Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Polls show Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party on course to win the most seats in the election, despite recommendations by Israeli police that the prime minister should be charged with corruption.

Mr Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing and Israeli prosecutors have not yet decided whether to indict him. The elections means that prosecutors will probably not announce any decision until after the campaign.

The justice ministry said its work on the corruption cases was "continuing normally" despite the election announcement. “This is an organized and professional work procedure that doesn’t depend on political events,” the ministry said in a statement.

Mr Netanyahu is due to travel to Washington in late March to address the annual conference of Aipac, the major pro-Israel US group, and will almost certainly meet with Donald Trump at the White House.