Poll Shows Netanyahu and Gadi Eizenkot Tied, Bennett Declines Further

A Channel 13 poll released on Tuesday reveals a tie between Likud, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Yisrael party headed by Gadi Eizenkot, each holding 21 Knesset seats. Likud dropped one seat from previous polls, while Yisrael remained stable. The Yachad party, led by Naftali Bennett, declined to 14 seats.

In bloc terms, Netanyahu's opponents hold a significant majority with 71 seats, compared to Netanyahu's bloc at 49 seats. Other parties include The Democrats with 11 seats, Yisrael Beiteinu with 10, Shas and United Torah Judaism with 8 each, Otzma Yehudit with 7, Hadash-Ta'al with 6, Religious Zionism and Ra'am with 5 each, and the Trooper-Hendel list surpassing the electoral threshold with 4 seats. Balad and Blue and White remain below the threshold.

Regarding the preferred prime minister, Eizenkot leads Netanyahu by 47% to 35%. In a direct contest, Bennett leads Netanyahu 43% to 40%. A special analysis of The Democrats' voters shows 36% came from Meretz, 34% from Labor, and 30% from Yesh Atid. Among Democrats' supporters, 66% are certain to vote for the party, 24% almost certain, 8% undecided, and 1% leaning but not decided. If not voting for The Democrats, 66% would support Eizenkot, 11% Bennett and Lapid, and 4% Lieberman.

On security issues, 45% of Israelis support restarting a war with Iran, 35% oppose, and 20% are unsure. Nearly half (48%) believe Netanyahu might initiate a security event to disrupt the elections, while 43% disagree and 9% are uncertain.