Ankara:Israel's opposition bloc would secure 54 seats in the Knesset compared to 50 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition if elections were held today, as indicated by a poll released late Tuesday by Channel 12.
According to Anadolu Agency, the poll conducted by the Sample research and consulting firm for Channel 12 involved 2,498 respondents and had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points. The survey comes weeks before Israel's general elections scheduled for October 27.
The findings reveal that Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party would become the largest with 23 seats, while Netanyahu's Likud party would secure 20 seats. Naftali Bennett's Together party would win 13 seats, and both the Democrats, led by Yair Golan, and Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beiteinu would each gain nine seats, totaling 54 seats for the opposition bloc.
On the other side, the coalition supporting Netanyahu would include United Torah Judaism with eight seats, Shas with seven, Otzma Yehudit led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir with six, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism with five, and the Reservists-New Economic Party, led by Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha, with four. Together with Likud's 20 seats, this bloc would total 50 seats.
Arab parties are expected to win 12 seats, with the Joint List securing seven and the Ra'am party led by Mansour Abbas obtaining five. Ofer Winter's Amcha Yisrael party would also win four seats.
In terms of preferred prime minister, Eisenkot leads with 41% support compared to Netanyahu's 38%. A total of 38 lists have registered for the upcoming Knesset elections, but polls suggest that only 13 are likely to achieve parliamentary representation.
A government formation requires at least 61 seats out of the 120-seat Knesset. The elections occur in a fragmented political environment, where Arab parties are projected to hold significant seats, but major Jewish parties have generally declined to rely on Arab lawmakers to form an alternative government to Netanyahu's coalition.
Netanyahu, in power since December 2022, faces corruption charges and an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.