War-Hit Israeli Cities Show Slight Drop in Support for Netanyahu Bloc
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
Preliminary results from Israel's 26th Knesset elections indicate a slight decrease in support for the Netanyahu bloc in five cities heavily impacted by war. While the bloc still holds a majority in Ashkelon, Sderot, Ofakim, Kiryat Shmona, and Safed, voter percentages have dropped compared to 2022. Notably, the Likud party saw a small gain in Ofakim, while Shas experienced declines in several cities. The final election results are pending.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- War-hit Israeli cities show a slight decrease in support for the Netanyahu bloc in the 26th Knesset elections.
- Preliminary results from five southern and northern cities indicate a general decline in votes for the bloc.
- Ofakim saw the largest drop in support for the bloc, while Likud gained votes there.
- Shas party experienced significant vote decreases in Ofakim and Sderot.
- Despite the drops, the Netanyahu bloc still holds a majority in these war-affected cities.
Voter turnout in Israeli cities significantly impacted by recent conflicts shows a slight decrease in support for the "Netanyahu bloc" in the 26th Knesset elections, according to preliminary results. The analysis, based on approximately 86% of votes counted, examined five cities in the north and south that have experienced heightened security tensions.
In the southern cities of Ashkelon, Sderot, and Ofakim, the Netanyahu bloc received 61.2%, 76.2%, and 78.6% of the vote respectively. These figures represent a modest decline compared to the 2022 elections, with Ashkelon and Sderot seeing drops of 3-5 percentage points, and Ofakim experiencing a more significant decrease of 7.5 percentage points.
Within Ofakim, the Likud party saw a slight increase in support, rising from 32.1% to 33.1%. However, Shas experienced a notable decrease, falling from 23.1% to 14.7%. In Ashkelon, Likud's support remained stable at around 39%, while Shas also saw a decline.
In the northern cities of Kiryat Shmona and Safed, the Netanyahu bloc garnered 68.7% and 83.5% of the vote, respectively. Kiryat Shmona saw a decrease of 6.1 percentage points from the previous election, while Safed experienced a smaller drop of 2.8 percentage points.
Safed showed resilience for the Likud, with support increasing by one percentage point to 28.8%. Shas's vote share decreased by 5.3 percentage points to 16.1% in Safed. In Kiryat Shmona, Likud's support dipped by 1.5 percentage points to 48%, and Shas saw a 4.1 percentage point decrease to 5.9%.
Overall, while there is a general trend of reduced support for the Netanyahu bloc in these war-affected areas, the bloc continues to hold a significant majority, with support ranging between 61% and 82% in these cities. The results for the 26th Knesset elections are still considered preliminary.
