Netanyahu and Eisenkot Tie in New Israeli Poll as Change Bloc Hits 60 Seats

A recent News 12 poll published on August 3, 2026, reveals a tie between Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and Gadi Eisenkot's Yisrael party, each securing 23 Knesset seats if elections were held today. Likud gained one seat compared to last week, while Yisrael maintained its lead. The Change Bloc, led by Naftali Bennett's Yachdut, holds steady at 14 seats, with the Democratic party under Yair Golan also maintaining 10 seats. Other parties such as Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu (9 seats) and Yahadut HaTorah (8 seats) remain stable, while Shas and Otzma Yehudit each lost one seat, now holding 7 seats apiece. The Religious Zionist party gained one seat, reaching 5.

At the lower end, the Hadash-Ta'al alliance and Ra'am each hold 5 seats, with the Zionist Reservists party crossing the electoral threshold with 4 seats. Blue and White and Balad remain below the threshold. The anti-Netanyahu bloc totals 70 seats, including 60 from Zionist opposition parties and 10 from Arab parties, while coalition parties hold 50 seats.

The poll also explored hypothetical scenarios: a merger of Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad, alongside Yoav Segalovitz joining Ra'am, would shift one seat from Zionist opposition parties to Arab parties without changing the overall bloc balance. Regarding leadership suitability, Eisenkot and Netanyahu are tied at 37% each for prime minister preference, with 21% rejecting both. Netanyahu leads Bennett 38% to 37%, and leads Lieberman 38% to 27%.

Public opinion on Defense Minister Israel Katz's decision to dismiss Central Command Chief Tamir Yalon was divided; 47% deemed the dismissal inappropriate, while 17% supported it. Katz received a poor performance rating from 57% overall, though 75% of coalition voters rated him positively. Most respondents (52%) believe Katz's actions were politically motivated.

Regarding Israel's security situation post-October 7, 36% feel it worsened, 35% see improvement, and 23% see no change. A majority (62%) do not believe Netanyahu led Israel to a decisive victory after three years of war. On trust in coalition leaders for security, Eisenkot leads with 30%, followed by Bennett (17%) and Lieberman (13%).

Most Israelis (62%) doubt Israel will achieve a "complete victory" in Gaza, and 72% do not believe Hamas will disarm. On the Lebanon front, 63% are skeptical that the US-mediated ceasefire will bring peace or disarm Hezbollah. Views on Iran are mixed: 35% think Netanyahu's wars reduced the threat, 27% believe it increased, and 28% see no change. A slim majority (51%) support resuming war with Iran, including 74% of coalition voters.

The poll was conducted by Meno Geva's Consulting and Research on August 3, 2026, with a representative sample of 503 respondents aged 18 and over, using internet and telephone methods, and a margin of error of ±4.4%.