Poll Shows Benny Gantz Leading Netanyahu, Camps Tied Ahead of Elections

A new poll released by Kan News on Monday evening indicates a shift in the Israeli political landscape, with Benny Gantz's National Unity party projected to win 24 seats, surpassing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, which is forecast to secure 20 seats, a drop of one seat. Naftali Bennett's Yamina party maintained its standing at 12 seats, positioning it as the third-largest party. The poll also showed gains for Yisrael Beiteinu and Otzma Yehudit, each expected to gain one seat for a total of 8 seats, while the two Arab lists combined are projected to win 12 seats. Religious Zionism, led by Bezalel Smotrich, increased its projected strength to 6 seats, up from 5 in the previous survey. Conversely, Yair Golan's Democratic party is predicted to lose a seat, falling to 8, and United Torah Judaism, under Yaakov Asher, is projected to have 7 seats following recent internal changes. Notably, the poll suggests that the Huldai-Zahavi alliance and Ofir Ventur's Am Echad Yisrael party would both surpass the electoral threshold, each gaining 4 seats. If these parties cross the threshold, the two major political blocs would remain evenly split with 52 seats each, making it difficult to form a governing coalition. In a separate question regarding Netanyahu's performance and handling of warnings prior to the October 7th attacks, 41% of 2022 Likud voters stated this issue would influence their vote in the upcoming elections, while 46% indicated it would not.