Netanyahu and Gadi Eizenkot Tied in Latest Israeli Election Poll with 98 Days to Vote

A new poll released by Channel 13 News shows a dramatic tie between Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and Gadi Eizenkot's Yisrael party, each holding 21 seats as Israel approaches elections in 98 days. Likud dropped one seat from previous polls, while Yisrael remained stable. Naftali Bennett's Yachdut party fell to 14 seats. The anti-Netanyahu bloc leads with 71 seats compared to Netanyahu's bloc holding 49.

Other parties include Yair Golan's The Democrats with 11 seats, Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu with 10, Shas and United Torah Judaism with 8 each, Otzma Yehudit with 7, Hadash-Ta'al with 6, Religious Zionism and Mansour Abbas's Ra'am with 5 each, and the Trooper-Hendel list crossing the threshold with 4 seats. Balad and Blue and White remain below the electoral threshold.

Regarding prime minister preference, Eizenkot leads Netanyahu 47% to 35%. In a direct contest, Bennett leads Netanyahu 43% to 40%. The aggregated "poll of polls" still shows Likud as the largest party, with Religious Zionism barely above the threshold. No political bloc currently reaches the 60-seat majority needed for government formation. The coalition holds 53 seats, opposition 57, and Arab parties 10.

A special analysis of The Democrats' voters found 36% came from Meretz, 34% from Labor, and 30% from Yesh Atid. Among these voters, 66% are certain to vote for The Democrats, 24% almost certain, 8% undecided, and 1% leaning but not decided. If not voting for The Democrats, 66% would choose Eizenkot, 11% Bennett or Lapid, and 4% Lieberman.

On security issues, 45% of Israelis support resuming war with Iran, 35% oppose, and 20% are unsure. Nearly half (48%) believe Netanyahu might instigate a security event to disrupt elections, while 43% disagree.

The poll was conducted by HaMidmad, Stat-Net, HaMidgam Project, and Askaria, with 988 respondents and a 3.5% margin of error. Statistical consulting was provided by Professor David Steinberg.