Netanyahu's Likud Leads Polls as Center-Right Unions Fail to Pass Threshold

A new election poll published on August 9, 2026, shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party leading with 24 seats, surpassing Gadi Eizenkot's Yisra party, which holds 23 seats. The recent center-right alliances, including the Trooper-Hendel and the Arden-Adelstein unions, failed to cross the electoral threshold. Similarly, Benny Gantz's Blue and White party also did not meet the threshold.

The Democrats, led by Yair Golan, rose to 10 seats, while Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu increased by one seat to 10. Naftali Bennett's Together party stabilized at 13 seats. A potential joint list of Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad remains uncertain, but without Ra'am, Arab parties are projected to secure 8 seats, with Segalovitch's faction expected to gain 5 seats independently. Combined, Arab parties would hold 13 seats, potentially weakening Netanyahu's bloc to 52 seats.

The ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism are tied with 8 seats each. Additionally, Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, holds 8 seats, and the Religious Zionist Party stands at 5 seats. These results indicate a fragmented political landscape ahead of the elections, with Netanyahu maintaining a lead but facing challenges in forming a stable coalition.