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Poll Shows Opposition Leading Netanyahu by 6 Seats Ahead of 2026 Elections

A final pre-election poll published by Maariv on Friday, October 23, 2026, shows the opposition "change bloc" leading Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc by 54 to 48 seats. The survey, conducted by the Lazar Research Institute between October 19 and 22, indicates high voter engagement, with over 80% of Israelis certain they will vote, compared to 71% in the 2022 elections.

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Poll Shows Opposition Leading Netanyahu by 6 Seats Ahead of 2026 Elections — Illustration by baba

What happened

01A final Maariv poll shows the opposition "change bloc" leading Netanyahu's bloc by 54 to 48 seats.
02Over 80% of Israelis are certain they will vote in the upcoming 2026 elections, up from 71% in 2022.
03The Yashar party leads all political factions with 21 seats, followed by Likud with 19 seats.
04Sixty percent of the Israeli public prefers the formation of a unity government if there is no clear winner.
05Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett both poll ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu in hypothetical prime ministerial contests.
06The Reservists and Economic Party is projected to narrowly cross the electoral threshold to win four seats.
07Several smaller parties, including Am Israel and Noam Le'Israel, are projected to fall short of the electoral threshold.

According to Israel National News, the Yashar party leads all factions with 21 seats, followed closely by Likud with 19 seats. Other projected seat allocations include Bayahd with 15 seats, the Democrats with ten, the Joint List with nine, Yisrael Beytenu and Shas with eight each, and United Torah Judaism, Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, and Zehut with seven seats apiece. Ra'am is predicted to win five seats, while the Reservists and Economic Party is expected to narrowly cross the electoral threshold with four seats.

If the elections yield no clear winner, 60% of the public favors the establishment of a unity government. In hypothetical prime ministerial matchups, Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett are polling ahead of Netanyahu. Several smaller parties, including Am Israel, the Haredi parties, Noam Le'Israel, and Tsumet Beit Israel, are projected to fall short of the electoral threshold.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated 17:24

Latest report: Alarab. Read Alarab’s original