Right-Wing Bloc Strengthens as Smotrich and Ben Gvir Tie; Bennett's Party Collapses

A new Channel 14 poll released on Tuesday reveals significant shifts in Israel's political landscape. The right-wing bloc has maintained stability and even increased its strength to 62 Knesset seats. Within the religious-national and right-wing camp, there is a complete tie between Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party and Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's Otzma Yehudit, each securing six seats.

A dramatic decline is seen in former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's party, Yachdut, which plummets to a new low of just eight seats, placing it on par with Yisrael Beiteinu and United Torah Judaism. The Likud party leads by a wide margin with 31 seats, followed by Gadi Eizenkot's Yisrael Beytenu with 22 seats, solidifying its position as the second-largest party.

Other parties' standings include Shas with 11 seats, the Democrats with 10, and the Arab parties Hadash-Ta'al and Ra'am each with five seats. Several parties, including Balad, Zionist Home/Miluimniks, Zehut, and Blue and White, failed to cross the electoral threshold.

Regarding the preferred candidate for prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu leads decisively with 54%, followed by Gadi Eizenkot at 34%. Naftali Bennett trails with 8%, while Avigdor Lieberman and Benny Gantz receive 3% and 1%, respectively. The poll underscores the consolidation of right-wing power and the challenges facing centrist and left-wing factions ahead of upcoming elections.