New Poll Shows Netanyahu Bloc Narrowly Trailing Eisenkot's Faction

A new poll conducted by the Kantar Institute for Kan 11 suggests that if elections were held today, the bloc of parties led by Gadi Eisenkot would secure 52 seats, a gain of one seat from the previous week's poll. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's supporting bloc, conversely, would receive 51 seats, two fewer than in the prior survey. The poll indicates a majority of 65 seats for those opposing Netanyahu, consistent with recent surveys. However, a boycott by some parties within the Eisenkot bloc against Arab parties, which together garner 13 seats, limits the bloc's potential majority to under 60 seats.

The reservists-economic party, led by Yoaz, is projected to surpass the electoral threshold with four seats. In contrast, Ofer Winter's party, which received four seats last week, is now projected to fall below the threshold. The survey also shows gains for Yesh Atid and Likud, each picking up one seat to reach 23 and 21 seats respectively. Naftali Bennett's Yahad party maintains its strength with 12 seats, followed by the Democrats, who gain one seat to reach nine. Israel Beiteinu and the Joint List are projected to receive eight seats each, unchanged from the previous poll. Shas also secures eight seats, an increase of one, while Otzma Yehudit loses a seat to also end up with eight. United Torah Judaism weakens to seven seats, while the Religious Zionism party strengthens from five to seven seats.

Ra'am, led by Mansour Abbas, is expected to hold steady with five seats. Notably, the Blue and White party, under Benny Gantz, fails to cross the electoral threshold, receiving 1.1% of the vote, slightly up from 0.9% in the last poll. Another ultra-Orthodox party also remains below the threshold with 0.8% of the vote. The poll surveyed 554 respondents, with a margin of error of 4.2%.