Netanyahu Focuses on Eizenkot as Bennett Gains Ground in Israeli Election Polls

The latest Globes poll aggregator reveals shifting dynamics in Israel's upcoming elections. The Likud party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, remains in the lead with 24 Knesset seats. However, the Yisrael party, headed by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, has gained strength, rising to 22 seats. The Yachdut party, led by Naftali Bennett, has dropped to 15 seats. Other parties include the Democrats with 10 seats, Yisrael Beiteinu with 9, Shas and Otzma Yehudit each with 8, United Torah Judaism with 8, Hadash-Ta'al with 6, Religious Zionism with 5, and Ra'am, which lost one seat to now hold 4.

The coalition and opposition blocs remain stable for the third consecutive week, with the coalition holding 54 seats and the opposition 66, including 10 seats from Arab parties Hadash-Ta'al and Ra'am. Averaging most polls except one, Yisrael leads with 23 seats compared to Likud's 22. Channel 13 and Maariv polls show Yisrael as the largest party, while Channels 11 and 12 show a tie with Likud. Channel 14's poll, however, gives Likud a significant lead with 33 seats versus Yisrael's 21, keeping Likud overall in front.

On the personal leadership front, Eizenkot leads Netanyahu in four out of five polls regarding suitability for prime minister, with margins ranging from 1 to 10 percentage points. Only Channel 14's poll shows Netanyahu ahead by 24 points. Meanwhile, Bennett is closing the gap on Netanyahu in several polls, including Maariv, where he trails by just two points.

This data indicates a competitive race with Netanyahu focusing on Eizenkot as his main challenger, while Bennett is emerging as a significant contender. The political blocs remain largely unchanged, but the personal leadership contest is tightening as election day approaches.