Gadi Eizenkot's Yashar Party Surges Past Netanyahu's Likud in New Poll

A dramatic shift in Israeli political polling was revealed in a new survey by Midgam, published on Monday by Channel 12 News. For the first time since the election campaign began, Gadi Eizenkot's Yashar party leads with 23 Knesset seats, overtaking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud, which dropped one seat to 22. This marks a significant turnaround following Eizenkot's steady rise in recent polls.

Naftali Bennett's Yachdav party remains stable with 16 seats, while the Democrats, led by Yair Golan, hold 10 seats, making them the fourth largest party. Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu strengthens to 10 seats, and Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit gains 9 seats. Among the ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism maintain steady support with 8 seats each.

Religious Zionism, led by Bezalel Smotrich, rises to 5 seats, and Ra'am also strengthens to 5 seats. The Joint List, headed by Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi, loses one seat, now holding 5. The Zionist opposition bloc grows to 59 seats, and including Arab parties, the opposition bloc totals 69 seats, while the current coalition holds only 51 seats. However, no bloc can form a government without alliances, as 61 seats are needed for a majority.

Regarding suitability for prime minister, Eizenkot leads with 43% compared to Netanyahu's 34%, widening the gap from the previous poll. The gap between Netanyahu and Bennett also narrows. New parties such as the one led by Hili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel (2.9%), Benny Gantz's Blue and White (1.4%), and Balad (0.9%) remain below the electoral threshold.