New Poll Shows Netanyahu Leading in Prime Minister Approval Rating

A new poll conducted by NEXT DATA for Channel 14 and released on Tuesday evening indicates stability in the overall distribution of parliamentary seats between political blocs, though individual parties show shifts. The right-wing bloc maintains 64 seats, the center-left bloc holds 44, and Arab parties collectively secure 12 seats, unchanged from the previous week's survey. The Likud party remains the largest but loses one seat, dropping from 31 to 30. Gadi Eisenkot's "Yashar" party also declines by one seat, from 22 to 21. Shas holds steady with 10 seats, while "Democrats" gain one, increasing from 8 to 9. "Religious Zionism-Zehut" and "Otzma Yehudit" each retain 8 seats. Naftali Bennett's party gains a seat, moving from 7 to 8, as does "United Torah Judaism," also increasing from 7 to 8. Conversely, "Yisrael Beiteinu" weakens, holding 6 seats instead of 7. Among Arab parties, "Hadash-Ta'al-Balad" gains one seat to 7, while "Ra'am" drops from 6 to 5, without altering their bloc's total strength.

In terms of suitability for prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu leads with 51%, a figure consistent with the prior poll. Gadi Eisenkot's approval rating rises to 35% from 34%, while Naftali Bennett's drops from 11% to 9%. Avigdor Lieberman's rating increases from 4% to 5%. A direct comparison between Netanyahu and Eisenkot shows Netanyahu leading 53% to 47%, unchanged from last week. The poll, which surveyed 483 adults on September 15, 2026, was analyzed by Shlomo Filber.