Gadi Eizenkot's Yisra Party Surpasses Netanyahu's Likud in New Israeli Poll

A new Kan News poll published on July 12, 2026, shows Gadi Eizenkot's Yisra party overtaking Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud as the largest party in the Knesset. Yisra leads with 24 seats, while Likud trails with 23. The gain for Yisra comes at the expense of Naftali Bennett's Yachdav party, which dropped from 16 to 15 seats. Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, lost one seat, now holding eight, and Hadash-Ta'al also fell to five seats. Conversely, Ra'am and Yisrael Beiteinu each gained one seat, standing at five and ten respectively. Other parties such as the Democrats, Religious Zionism, Shas, and United Torah Judaism maintained their previous seat counts.

The poll indicates a weakening of Netanyahu's bloc, which now holds 52 seats, compared to 68 for the opposition bloc. However, if major opposition parties refuse to cooperate with Hadash-Ta'al and Ra'am, their combined seats drop to 58. Hypothetical scenarios involving new right-wing parties led by Gilad Erdan, Ayelet Shaked, and Yuli Edelstein suggest potential shifts: one such party could win five seats, drawing votes from Netanyahu, Eizenkot, Smotrich, Ben-Gvir, and Lieberman, reducing Netanyahu's bloc to 49 seats. An alternative scenario where Yoaz Hendel's party merges with Yisra would increase Yisra's seats to 25 and widen its lead over Likud.

Regarding prime ministerial suitability, Netanyahu leads Bennett 38% to 34%, with 28% undecided. Against Eizenkot, Netanyahu trails 37% to 41%, while Eizenkot leads Bennett 39% to 21%. Security issues dominate voter concerns at 25%, closely followed by the October 7 massacre and related investigations at 24%, economic issues at 22%, and judicial reform at 12%. Public opinion on Shin Bet chief David Zini's performance is divided, with 40% approving and 34% disapproving, reflecting coalition-opposition splits. The police and National Security Minister Ben-Gvir receive 59% negative evaluations. On social issues, 56% support opening businesses on Shabbat, while 29% oppose.

The survey was conducted by Kantar with 551 respondents aged 18 and over from a sample of 2,359, including the Arab sector, with a margin of error of ±4.2%. Official elections are scheduled for October 27, 2026.