New Poll Shows Netanyahu Bloc Leading Opposition Ahead of Elections

A new Israeli election poll released Wednesday evening indicates a shift in favor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc, which now leads opposition parties with 54 seats compared to the opposition's 52. Arab parties collectively secured 14 seats in the survey. The poll, published by Channel 13, shows the "Yesh Atid" party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, as the largest single party with 20 seats. The Likud party follows with 19 seats. The "Bayahad" alliance, headed by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, and the "Democrats" each garnered 11 seats. "Yisrael Beiteinu," led by Yair Golan, and the Joint List both received 9 seats. "Otzma Yehudit," under the leadership of Itamar Ben-Gvir, and "United Torah Judaism" each obtained 8 seats. "Shas" and the "Religious Zionism" list, headed by Bezalel Smotrich, secured 7 seats each. The United Arab List received 5 seats, as did "Amcha Yisrael" led by Ofer Winter. The poll also indicated that the HENDEL-ZILCHA list did not pass the electoral threshold. Despite the slight lead for Netanyahu's bloc, neither the pro-Netanyahu nor the opposition bloc reached the 61-seat majority required to form a government independently.