New Polls Show Netanyahu's Likud Weakening, Gantz Leading

Recent opinion polls released by Israel's Channel 12 and Kan News indicate a decline in support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, which now stands at 20 Knesset seats in both surveys. The "Yash" party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, emerged as the largest party in the polls, securing 24 seats according to Kan News and 23 according to Channel 12. Following Likud, Naftali Bennett's "Yamina" party garnered 13 seats in the Channel 12 poll and 12 in the Kan News poll. Yair Golan's "The Democrats" received 10 seats from Channel 12 and 8 from Kan News, while Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu remained steady at 8 seats in both surveys. Other parties showed varying results: Otzma Yehudit received 8 seats in the Kan News poll versus 6 in the Channel 12 poll. United Torah Judaism secured 8 seats from Channel 12 and 7 from Kan News. Shas, led by Aryeh Deri, held 7 seats in both polls. The Joint List, headed by Yousef Jabareen, obtained 8 seats from Channel 12 and 7 from Kan News. Religious Zionism and Identity, led by Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin, received 6 seats in the Kan News poll and 5 in the Channel 12 poll. Ra'am, under Mansour Abbas, garnered 5 seats in the Kan News poll and 4 in the Channel 12 poll, the same number of seats as Ofer Winter's "Am Israel" party.

Notably, Yoaz Hendel and Prof. Yaron Ze'ev's "Reservists and Economic" party secured 4 seats in both polls, potentially crossing the electoral threshold. If this party passes the threshold and is aligned with the opposition, one poll suggests a tie in the bloc map with 52 seats for the coalition and 52 for the opposition, plus 12 for Arab parties. However, the Channel 12 poll shows the opposition bloc with 66 seats (54 Zionist, 12 Arab) and the coalition with 50, with Hendel and Ze'ev's party forming a "third bloc."

In head-to-head matchups for prime minister, Eisenkot leads Netanyahu 42% to 36%, an increase from Netanyahu's previous 38%. When compared to Naftali Bennett, Bennett leads Netanyahu 40% to 39%. Netanyahu maintains a lead over Lieberman, 40% to 30%. Gantz's "Yash" party remains below the electoral threshold in both surveys.