Gadi Eizenkot Gains Support Over Naftali Bennett as Likud Rises, Netanyahu Regains Lead

A new Channel 12 poll published on June 29, 2026, reveals shifts in party support ahead of potential elections in Israel. The Likud party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, emerges as the largest party with 24 seats, marking a rise that restores Netanyahu's lead in the race for prime minister. Meanwhile, Gadi Eizenkot's party, Yashar!, strengthens by one seat to 22, while Naftali Bennett's Yachdav party declines by one seat to 17. Despite these changes within the blocs, the overall balance of power remains unchanged, with the Zionist opposition bloc holding 58 seats and the current coalition 52.

Other notable results include the Democratic camp under Yair Golan securing 10 seats, Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu maintaining 9 seats each, and Otzma Yehudit dropping to 8 seats. United Torah Judaism holds steady at 7 seats, while the Joint List loses one seat to 5, and Ra'am gains one seat to 5. The Religious Zionist Party remains above the electoral threshold with 4 seats. Parties below the threshold include Blue and White (2.5%), The Reservists (2.2%), and Balad (1.4%).

A hypothetical joint list of Blue and White, The Reservists, and Dedi Simchi would increase to 6 seats, slightly weakening the coalition to 50 seats and boosting the Zionist opposition to 54 seats. In this scenario, Likud would drop to 22 seats, Yashar! to 20, and Yachdav to 15.

Regarding the prime minister preference, Netanyahu leads Eizenkot 37% to 36%, and outpaces Bennett 40% to 32%, as well as Avigdor Lieberman 40% to 23%. Public opinion also shows 46% support for the recent Israel-Lebanon agreement, with 19% opposed and 35% undecided. Support is higher among opposition voters (54%) than coalition supporters (44%). Conversely, 60% oppose the deal between Netanyahu and ultra-Orthodox parties involving legislative concessions in exchange for advancing certain laws, while 26% support it.

The poll was conducted by Meno Geva's Consulting and Research on June 29, 2026, with a representative sample of 504 respondents aged 18 and over, using internet and telephone methods, and a margin of error of ±4.4%.