Poll Shows Likud Strengthening Amid Calls for Broad Unity Government in Israel

A recent poll conducted by Direct Polls for i24NEWS reveals a slight strengthening of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party amid ongoing political developments, including the Lebanon agreement and controversy over the detention of yeshiva students. If elections were held today, Likud would gain two seats compared to last week, reaching 29 mandates, maintaining its lead. The Yisrael Beiteinu party led by Gadi Eizenkot drops one seat to 19 mandates.

Other parties show minor shifts: the Together party and the Democrats each hold 11 mandates, Shas remains steady at 9, and Otzma Yehudit and United Torah Judaism maintain 8 mandates each. The Joint List stays at 7 mandates, Ra'am at 5, while Religious Zionism falls by one seat to 4 mandates.

Regarding government preferences, half of respondents favor a broad national unity government immediately after elections. Twenty-three percent prefer a narrow right-Haredi coalition, and 27% support a narrow center-left-Ra'am government. Among opposition voters who back a unity government, only 14% would accept Netanyahu as prime minister, while 83% have red lines preventing this. Conversely, 22% of coalition supporters would accept Gadi Eizenkot as prime minister in such a government, with 70% opposed due to red lines.

The poll highlights the complex political landscape and the challenges in forming a broad coalition government in Israel's current climate.