Poll Shows Narrowing Gap Between Netanyahu Coalition and Opposition

A new poll indicates a tightening race between Israel's governing coalition and the opposition, with the gap narrowing to just two Knesset seats. The survey, conducted by Maariv, suggests the coalition bloc would secure 51 seats, while the opposition bloc would receive 49. This represents a shift from previous polling, where the opposition held a larger lead.

The poll, conducted on September 30 and October 1 among 602 Israeli citizens aged 18 and over, shows internal shifts within parties. The Likud party gained strength, rising to 19 seats. Conversely, the "Yashar!" party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, lost one seat, now holding 21, and has seen a four-seat decline over the past month. The "Democrats" also dropped one seat to 10.

Meanwhile, the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism each gained one seat, reaching seven mandates apiece. The Religious Zionism party saw its representation decrease to five seats.

In personal ratings, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has narrowed the gap with Gadi Eisenkot. Netanyahu is preferred by 47% of respondents, compared to 41% for Eisenkot, a 6-percentage point difference. Netanyahu also trails Naftali Bennett by 4 percentage points (45% to 41%) and leads Avigdor Lieberman by 5 percentage points (44% to 39%). The poll has a stated margin of error of 4% and includes both Jewish and Arab respondents.