Netanyahu Bloc Strengthens as Likud and Yisrael Split 23 Seats Each in New Poll

A new Kan News poll published on August 9, 2026, shows a tightening race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and Gadi Eizenkot's Yisrael party, each securing 23 Knesset seats. Likud gained one seat compared to the previous poll, contributing to a strengthened Netanyahu bloc now holding 53 seats. Meanwhile, two recently announced center-right alliances, Trooper-Hendel and Ardan-Adelstein, failed to cross the electoral threshold.

The Democratic party, led by Yair Golan, rebounded to 10 seats after a previous drop to eight, while Yisrael Beiteinu also increased by one seat to ten. Naftali Bennett's faction, Beyachad, remained steady at 13 seats. A potential joint list of Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad could yield eight seats for the Arab parties excluding Ra'am, which with Segalovitch could add five more, totaling 13 seats. This scenario would reduce Netanyahu's bloc to 52 seats.

Regarding suitability for prime minister, Netanyahu leads with 41%, ahead of Bennett at 31% and Eizenkot at 34%. Netanyahu widened his lead over Eizenkot from a 4% gap to 7%. Between Bennett and Eizenkot, Eizenkot leads 31% to 20%, narrowing from a 22% gap in the previous poll.

The survey also found that 18% of Israelis recently considered emigrating, with opposition voters more likely (23%) than coalition supporters (6%). Despite this, 67% are not concerned about emigration levels, and only 12% expressed worry. The poll was conducted online by Kantar with 551 respondents out of 2,358 invited, including the Arab sector, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2%.