Jerusalem: Former Israeli army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party would emerge as the largest party in Israel's parliament with 25 seats compared with 21 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud if elections were held today, according to a poll released Monday.
According to Anadolu Agency, the survey was conducted by the Israeli market research and public opinion polling institute Midgam for Israel's Channel 12. Yashar gained one seat compared with the channel's previous poll, giving it the largest representation in the 120-member Knesset, while Likud lost two seats. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's Together party secured 13 seats, dropping by two to its lowest level in the channel's recent polls.
The Democrats, led by Yair Golan, a former Israeli army deputy chief of staff, remained unchanged at 11 seats. Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party lost one seat, falling to eight. The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, led by Yaakov Asher, received eight seats, while Aryeh Deri's ultra-Orthodox Shas party secured seven.
An alliance between the right-wing Religious Zionism and Zehut parties, led by Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin, respectively, was projected to win six seats. Amcha Yisrael, led by Ofer Winter, received four seats. Among the Arab parties, the Joint List, led by Yousef Jabareen, secured seven seats, while Mansour Abbas' United Arab List received four.
Several parties failed to cross the 3.25% electoral threshold, including Benny Gantz's Blue and White and Avi Maoz's Noam Yisrael. In terms of political blocs, the opposition secured 68 seats, including 57 for Jewish parties and 11 for Arab parties. Netanyahu's bloc, meanwhile, received 52 seats, gaining two after the parties led by Smotrich and Winter crossed the electoral threshold.
Forming a government in Israel requires the support of at least 61 members of the 120-seat Knesset. When respondents were asked who they believed was better suited to be prime minister, 42% chose Eisenkot compared with 35% who favored Netanyahu, giving Eisenkot a seven-point advantage. The poll results come ahead of Israel's general election scheduled for Oct. 27.
Earlier Monday, Israeli parties submitted their candidate lists for the elections a day before Tuesday's deadline. The submissions came amid divisions over electoral alliances, most notably Eisenkot's decision not to merge his party with Bennett's. Winter also decided to contest the elections independently without joining Smotrich's party.