Gadi Eizenkot Leads Naftali Bennett Across Political Camps in New Israeli Poll

A recent poll published by Ma'ariv shows former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot gaining ground over Naftali Bennett and Benjamin Netanyahu across all political factions. Dr. Menachem Lazar, analyzing the poll, notes that while Eizenkot continues to strengthen his position, the Likud party remains at a low point with only 21 Knesset seats. Despite these shifts, no existing political player has managed to break the deadlock between the main political blocs.

Dr. Lazar highlights that both the ultra-Orthodox and Arab parties maintain stable support levels. The significant change this week is Eizenkot's rising competition against Bennett within the opposition camp. Lazar suggests that the stalemate will likely persist unless new political actors emerge or existing ones unite, as current players have not succeeded in shifting the balance.

In a scenario where Bennett leads a united "Together and Straight!" alliance, the bloc gains 35 seats, an increase of two from the previous poll but five fewer than if Bennett ran separately. This alliance, headed by Bennett, allows the Troper-Hendel faction to surpass the electoral threshold, securing five seats, partly at the expense of Israel Beiteinu and the Democrats, and drawing votes from the Religious Zionist Party, which fails to cross the threshold with only 2.4% support.

Under this scenario, Netanyahu's bloc holds 48 seats, the Zionist opposition bloc 56 seats (which transfers about two seats to the Troper-Hendel alliance), Troper-Hendel five seats, and Arab parties 11 seats. The poll underscores the ongoing fragmentation and the challenge of forming a decisive governing coalition ahead of the upcoming elections.