New Poll Shows Opposition Bloc Shrinking, Netanyahu's Coalition Stagnating

A new Israeli election poll indicates that a unified party formed by Yoaz Hendel and Professor Yaron Zelekha has surpassed the electoral threshold, securing four Knesset seats. This development significantly complicates the political landscape, potentially hindering either major bloc's ability to form a government.

According to the survey, if Hendel and Zelekha's party enters the Knesset, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc would hold 52 seats. This is only one seat more than the opposing bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot, which dropped from 55 seats in the previous poll to 51. Netanyahu's bloc has maintained its overall strength despite a continued decline in the Likud party's support, which lost another seat and now stands at just 20 mandates.

Even with the addition of Hendel and Zelekha's party, Netanyahu's bloc reaches only 56 seats, falling five short of the 61 needed for a majority. The Eisenkot bloc, including Hendel and Zelekha, would reach just 55 seats, necessitating the support of the Ra'am party to form a government.

Beyond the Likud's decline, Gadi Eisenkot's 'Yash' party and Naftali Bennett's 'Achva' party each lost a seat, falling to 23 and 13 mandates respectively. A one-seat drop was also observed for the Democrats, Otzma Yehudit, United Torah Judaism, and the Joint Arab List.

Conversely, the Ra'am party gained a seat, rising to six mandates, and the Religious Zionism party also increased to six seats. This surge for Religious Zionism follows the announcement of their joint run with Moshe Feiglin's 'Zehut' party, forming a technical bloc.