New Poll Shows Right-Wing Bloc Gaining, Public Fears Another October 7th

A new poll by Maariv indicates a shift in the Israeli political landscape, with the right-wing bloc gaining two seats to reach 51 mandates, while the "change bloc" has weakened by two seats to 53. The Likud party saw a slight increase, moving from 18 to 19 mandates, while the "Yashar!" party, previously leading, dropped to 21 mandates from 22 in the prior poll. Other parties like "Democrats" lost a mandate, now at 10, and "Religious Zionism-Identity" also declined to 5 mandates. The "Reservists" and "Amcha Israel" parties are projected to pass the electoral threshold, each securing 4 mandates, though they remain in a precarious position. Parties failing to cross the threshold are losing support, with none reaching more than 1% of respondents. The percentage of undecided voters has also decreased to 6.4%. The coalition bloc collectively holds 51 mandates, compared to the opposition's 53. Separately, the poll revealed significant public anxiety, with 67% of Israelis expressing fear of a security event on the scale of the October 7th attack. This concern is shared by both coalition (65%) and opposition (77%) voters, though with varying intensity.