Gadi Eizenkot Surpasses Netanyahu’s Likud in New Mandate Poll

A new Maariv poll reveals a significant shift in Israel’s political landscape, with Gadi Eizenkot’s party, Yashar!, leading for the first time over Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud. Yashar! secured 22 mandates, while Likud holds 21, marking a two-mandate increase for Likud compared to the previous poll and a notable rise of about 10 mandates since the April alliance announcement between Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.

Naftali Bennett’s party, Beyachad, dropped back to 18 mandates after briefly rising to 19 last week. The Religious Zionist Party, led by Bezalel Smotrich, also declined to four mandates from five. Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu and Yair Golan’s Democrats remained stable at 10 mandates each. Otzma Yehudit, Shas, and United Torah Judaism each maintained eight mandates, while Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas, held steady at five mandates.

Regarding prime ministerial suitability, Eizenkot steadily widened his lead over Netanyahu, now at 48% to 40%. Bennett’s support remained steady at 43%, while Netanyahu’s rose slightly to 41%. Two months ago, Netanyahu led Eizenkot by 7%, but the balance has since shifted in Eizenkot’s favor.

The poll also examined public opinion on the coalition’s legislative blitz. About 43% oppose it, 26% support it, and 31% are undecided. Opposition voters show approximately 70% resistance, while 56% of coalition supporters back the legislation, with 35% undecided.

This poll signals a potential political realignment ahead of upcoming elections, highlighting Eizenkot’s rising prominence and the fluctuating support for key parties and leaders.