Ofer Winter's Party Gains 5 Seats While Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism Falls Below Threshold

A recent Maariv poll conducted by Lazar Research and Panel4ALL reveals significant shifts in Israel's political landscape following Ofer Winter's entry into politics. Winter's party, Amcha Israel, is projected to secure 5 Knesset seats, while Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party falls below the electoral threshold with only 3% support. Without Winter, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition bloc holds 43 seats; adding Winter's 5 seats raises it to 48, still short of the 61-seat majority.

Meanwhile, Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit loses one seat, dropping to 8. Other right-wing parties such as Beit Tzionim-Haliluimnikim and the Economic Party receive 2% and 1.5% respectively, with Blue and White at 0.6%. Collectively, these parties account for about 8% of votes, roughly 10 seats, which do not translate into Knesset representation.

Among Arab parties, the Hadash-Ta'al and Balad alliance gains 8 seats, while Mansour Abbas's Ra'am secures 5, totaling 13 seats. The Zionist opposition slightly declines to 59 seats, with Yisrael Beiteinu falling to 25 seats and Yachad rising to 15. Despite Winter's addition, Netanyahu's bloc remains below the majority threshold.

Regarding prime ministerial suitability, Gadi Eizenkot leads Netanyahu with 48% to 37%, and Naftali Bennett also surpasses Netanyahu with 45% to 40%. However, Netanyahu leads Avigdor Lieberman 40% to 37%.

The poll also highlights public dissatisfaction with the education system: 74% of Israelis are unhappy with public education, and 62% of parents worry about the introduction of values conflicting with their own. The survey was conducted from August 16 to 27 among 506 respondents, with a margin of error of 4.4%.