Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party are tied at 23 seats, while Netanyahu’s bloc has slipped to 52 seats, according to a Kan News poll published Sunday.
Likud dropped one seat from the previous poll, while Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad gained one to reach 14 seats. Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit recorded a two-seat gain, climbing to 10, while Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism fell from five seats to four. Overall, the Netanyahu bloc dropped from 53 seats to 52, while Eisenkot’s bloc increased from 56 to 57.
Eisenkot also overtook Netanyahu in the poll’s prime minister suitability question for the first time in approximately a month. Eisenkot was preferred by 41% of respondents, up from 36% in the previous poll, while Netanyahu fell from 41% to 36%. Against Bennett, Netanyahu maintained a narrow 37%-35% advantage, dramatically down from the 10-point lead he held in the previous survey.
The poll also examined attitudes among Likud voters ahead of the party’s primaries. MK Tally Gotliv was selected as the lawmaker who best represents Likud’s values, while Transportation Minister Miri Regev was identified as the lawmaker most likely to hurt the party’s electoral prospects. Approximately 60% of Likud voters said Netanyahu should reserve a spot on the party slate for pro-Israel activist Yoseph Haddad, while 57% said they were satisfied with the candidates Netanyahu has reserved spots for thus far.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
