Two Polls Show Divergent Political Maps for Israel

Two recent opinion polls present conflicting pictures of Israel's political landscape. A poll conducted by Channel 14 suggests a clear advantage for the right-wing bloc, projecting 63 mandates and a strong lead for Benjamin Netanyahu as the preferred prime minister. In this scenario, the Likud party emerges as the largest, with 30 mandates, followed by Yesh Atid with 22, and Shas with 10. Other parties projected to pass the electoral threshold include Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism-Identity, each with 8 mandates, United Torah Judaism with 7, and both Yisrael Beiteinu and Ra'am with 6 mandates. The Arab parties receive a combined 8 mandates. Netanyahu leads in the prime ministerial preference test, with 52% favoring him over Gadi Eisenkot (28%), Naftali Bennett (14%), and Avigdor Lieberman (6%).

Conversely, a poll by Channel 12 indicates a different outcome, with the opposition bloc holding an advantage. This poll predicts the coalition parties will secure 52 mandates, while the opposition would gain 57. The Arab parties collectively receive 11 mandates. In this poll, Likud is the largest party with 21 mandates, followed by Naftali Bennett's party with 13. Yesh Atid garners 11 mandates, and Yisrael Beiteinu receives 8. United Torah Judaism, led by Yaakov Asher, is projected to get 8 mandates, while the Joint List and Shas each receive 7. Religious Zionism and Identity get 6 mandates each, and Ra'am secures 4. Several parties, including Benny Gantz's National Unity, fall below the electoral threshold in this poll.