New Poll Shows Eisenkot Party Leading, Winter's Party Misses Threshold

A new poll released by Kan News shows Gadi Eisenkot's party leading with 23 mandates, followed by the Likud with 21. The United Torah Judaism, Shas, and Joint List parties each receive 8 mandates, while Religious Zionism gets 6, Ra'am 5, and Handel and Zalicha 4. Notably, the Am Israel party, led by Ofer Winter, falls below the electoral threshold.

This development occurs amidst controversy surrounding Yosef Haddad, the second-ranked candidate on the Am Israel list. A resurfaced interview from over five and a half years ago shows Haddad expressing support for a two-state solution and peace with the Palestinians. Haddad later clarified that his views were from before "Operation Guardian of the Walls" and the October 7th attack, and that his stance has since dramatically shifted.

In terms of blocs, Eisenkot's bloc garners 52 mandates, while Netanyahu's bloc has 51. Arab parties collectively secure 13 mandates. The poll also surveyed public opinion on the Flydubai incident, with 45% expressing fear of flying with foreign airlines following the event. Regarding responsibility for the incident, 43% blamed the UAE, while 32% pointed to Israel.

The performance of Transportation Minister Miri Regev was also assessed, with 66% of respondents rating her overall performance as "not good at all." Even among coalition voters, 38% gave her the same low rating. Furthermore, 67% of respondents fear a repeat of the October 7th massacre, and 54% believe political considerations delayed the return of hostages.