Poll Shows Right-Wing Bloc Gains Seats, Izankot Closes Gap With Netanyahu

A Channel 14 poll released Wednesday indicates a shift in the Israeli political landscape, with the right-wing bloc gaining one seat to reach 64 mandates, while the left-wing bloc remains unchanged at 44. Arab parties collectively dropped one mandate to 12.

Within the right-wing bloc, the Likud party strengthened its position, gaining one mandate to reach 31 seats. Other parties in the bloc also saw gains or maintained their numbers: Yashar received 22 mandates, Shas 10, Religious Zionism-Identity 8, and Otzma Yehudit 8. Yisrael Beiteinu and Bayit Yehudi each gained one mandate to reach 7, and United Torah Judaism held steady with 7.

On the left, the Democratic party experienced a significant decline, losing two mandates to fall from 10 to 8. The Joint List (Hadash-Ta'al-Balad) also dropped two mandates to 6, while Ra'am gained one mandate to reach 6.

In the race for prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu continues to lead with 51% suitability, a one-point decrease from the previous poll. However, Gadi Eisenkot saw a notable surge, increasing his support from 28% to 34%, a six-point jump. Naftali Bennett garnered 11%, down three points, and Avigdor Lieberman received 4%, down two points.

Even in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup between Netanyahu and Eisenkot, Eisenkot's support grew. Netanyahu secured 53% compared to Eisenkot's 47%, representing a three-point drop for Netanyahu and a three-point gain for Eisenkot since the last survey. The poll, conducted by NEXT DATA among 537 adults, suggests a strengthening of the right-wing bloc and a recovery for the Likud, alongside a significant narrowing of the gap between Netanyahu and Eisenkot in suitability for the premiership.