Poll Reveals Voter Views on Ofer Winter, October 7 Blame

A new poll conducted by Channel 13 among undecided voters explored key political considerations, including the potential appeal of Ofer Winter's new "Amcha Yisrael" party. Nearly half of undecided voters, 48%, stated they would consider voting for Winter due to his "right-wing and statesmanlike persona," while 43% cited him as a "new face." Only 3% indicated that his support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition would be a reason to vote for him. Conversely, reasons for not voting for Winter included concerns about his proximity to the electoral threshold (33%), his perceived lenient stance on conscription (26%), fears of coordination with the opposition (17%), and concerns he might align with Netanyahu (10%).

The poll also assessed the impact of the Likud party's campaign suggesting Gadi Eisenkot might seek support from Arab parties. A significant majority, 59%, reported this campaign did not alter their voting intentions, with 25% unaware of it, and only 10% reconsidering their vote due to the claims. Regarding the perception of right-wing parties, Bezalel Smotrich's "Religious Zionism" led with 86%, followed closely by Itamar Ben-Gvir's "Otzma Yehudit" at 85%. Winter's party garnered 75%, Netanyahu's Likud 72%, Naftali Bennett's "Achva" 23%, and Eisenkot's "Yashar" 8%.

In a separate question about responsibility for the October 7th failures, Prime Minister Netanyahu was cited by the most respondents (64%). Former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi followed with over 50%, then former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at 26%. Recent polls show Eisenkot's "Yashar" party with 22 seats, while Netanyahu's Likud has hit a record low of 18 seats. However, Netanyahu's bloc leads Eisenkot's bloc 54 to 52 seats, with Arab parties holding 14 seats. Bennett's "Achva" has 12 seats, and Yair Golan's "Democrats" hold 10. The right-wing bloc shows strength, with the union of "Religious Zionism" and "Identity" reaching 8 seats, matching "Otzma Yehudit," "Yisrael Beiteinu," and the Joint List. United Torah Judaism and Shas each have 7 seats. Winter's "Amcha Yisrael" reaches 6 seats, as does Ra'am. Parties below the threshold include Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha, "The Haredi Public," and Benny Gantz's "National Unity," which has fallen to less than 1% of the vote.