Poll Shows Gantz's Party Failing to Cross Threshold, Opposition Bloc Leads

A Channel 13 poll for the 26th Knesset elections indicates that Benny Gantz's National Unity party would fail to cross the electoral threshold, receiving less than 1% of the vote. The survey, which polled 1,503 respondents with a margin of error of 2.5%, also showed the opposition bloc securing 52 seats, compared to 51 for the coalition. Arab parties collectively garnered 13 seats, while the Handel-Zelicha party secured 4 seats, surpassing the threshold.

In the breakdown of individual parties, the poll projected the "Achieving Together" party led by Naftali Bennett and the "Democrats" led by Yair Golan each winning 11 seats. The Joint List, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Yahadut HaTorah were each projected to receive 8 seats. Among religious and Haredi parties, Itamar Ben-Gvir's "Otzma Yehudit" and the Shas party were each predicted to win 7 seats. The "Religious Zionism" alliance led by Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin was projected to get 6 seats, and Ofir Winter's "Am Echad" party and the United Arab List were both expected to win 5 seats.

When asked about the preferred candidate for prime minister, Gadi Eisenkot received 48% support, ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu's 36%, with 16% undecided. Regarding preferred government configurations, 31% favored a broad unity government, 29% supported a right-wing government, and 25% preferred a government composed of opposition parties. The remaining respondents favored other configurations or were undecided.