Israeli Poll Shows Arab Parties Gaining Seats Ahead of Election

A new poll released by i24NEWS on Tuesday indicates that the Amcha Israel party, led by Ofir Winter, is unlikely to pass the electoral threshold for the upcoming 26th Knesset elections in Israel. The party garnered 3.1% of the vote, falling short of the 3.25% required to enter parliament. The survey, conducted by Direct Polls under Tzuriell Sharon, shows the Likud party leading with 27 seats, followed by Gadi Eisenkot's Yahad party with 21 seats, each gaining one seat since the previous poll. Naftali Bennett's Bayit Yehudi party secured third place with 13 seats, an increase of two. Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit and Yair Golan's Democrats are projected to win 9 seats each, with the Democrats losing one seat. Other parties included United Torah Judaism with 8 seats, and Shas, Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu, and the Joint List each with 7 seats. Ra'am's representation rose to 6 seats, up one, while Religious Zionism and Zehut also received 6 seats. Parties like HaMiluimnikim (Reservists) and the Economy party each received 2.2% and failed to reach the threshold, while Blue and White, Noam, and Israel First - Ali Yarok received less than 1%. On the bloc level, the coalition bloc dropped to 57 seats from 60 in the prior poll, while the change bloc increased to 50 seats from 48. Arab parties collectively gained 13 seats, an increase of one seat. The poll surveyed 1,210 adults over 18 in Israel, with a margin of error of 2.8% at a 95% confidence level.