New Poll Shows Gadi Eisenkot's Party Leading, Netanyahu's Bloc Trailing

A new Knesset election poll published by "Israel Hayom" indicates a close race between two major blocs, with former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot's "Yashr!" party emerging as the largest single party. The poll projects "Yashr!" securing 24 seats, surpassing Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, which is predicted to win 21 seats.

The "B'Yachad" party, a joint venture of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, is projected to receive 13 seats. Other parties in the poll include "HaDemocratim" with 9 seats, "Yisrael Beiteinu" with 9, "Yahadut HaTorah" with 8, and "Shas" with 7 seats. "Otzma Yehudit" and the Joint List are also projected to win 7 seats each.

Further down, "Religious Zionism" led by Bezalel Smotrich is expected to gain 6 seats, "Ra'am" 5 seats, and "Amcha Yisrael" 4 seats. Notably, Ofer Winter's party is projected to pass the electoral threshold, securing 4 seats.

In terms of blocs, the poll suggests Netanyahu's right-wing bloc would garner 53 seats, while Eisenkot's bloc would reach 55 seats. This leaves Eisenkot's bloc with a slight advantage but still short of the 61 seats required to form a government. The poll also highlights a potentially optimistic scenario for the right-wing, with Smotrich, Moshe Feiglin's faction, and Winter's party collectively accounting for 10 seats.