New Polls Show Shifting Political Landscape, Potential Right-Wing Union

Two new polls released Tuesday evening present differing views on Israel's political landscape, with the "Yashar" party and the Likud party at the center of attention, alongside a potential scenario that could alter the balance of power on the right. A poll conducted by Channel 13 indicates "Yashar" as the largest party with 22 Knesset seats, closely followed by Likud with 21 seats. Other parties in this poll include "Bayad" with 12 seats, "Democrats" with 11, and the Joint List with 9. Yisrael Beiteinu and United Torah Judaism each garnered 8 seats, Shas and Otzma Yehudit received 7, Religious Zionism and Zehut with 6, Ra'am with 5, and Am Israel with 4.

In contrast, a poll by i24NEWS shows the Likud party regaining the lead with 27 seats, a four-seat advantage over "Yashar," which secured 23 seats. "Democrats" and "Bayad" each received 9 seats, United Torah Judaism 8, and the Joint List, Otzma Yehudit, Shas, and Yisrael Beiteinu each obtained 7 seats.

The most significant finding, however, may lie in a hypothetical scenario involving a union on the right. The i24NEWS poll examined the potential impact if Ofer Winter and his party were to merge with the Religious Zionism and Zehut parties into a single entity named "Union of Right-Wing Parties" led by Smotrich, while Tali Gottlieb would join Otzma Yehudit. In this specific scenario, the "Union of Right-Wing Parties" would win 11 seats. Under these conditions, Likud would hold 26 seats, "Yashar" 23, "Democrats" and "Bayad" 9 each, United Torah Judaism 8, Otzma Yehudit 8, the Joint List, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Shas 7 each, and Ra'am 5 seats.