A recent poll indicates that the bloc of Zionist parties opposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could secure a governing majority for the first time. The survey, published by Zman Yisrael, shows the anti-Netanyahu bloc winning 62 seats in the 120-member Knesset, surpassing the 61 needed to form a government. In contrast, the pro-Netanyahu bloc is projected to win 50 seats, while the two primarily Arab parties, Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al, are expected to secure 8 seats.
Historically, previous polls indicated that the opposition was unlikely to reach 60 seats without support from Arab parties. Opposition leaders have expressed a commitment to forming a “Zionist government” without relying on Arab party support. The poll details individual party seat projections: Likud with 23 seats, Together (led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett) with 21, Yashar (led by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot) with 19, Yisrael Beytenu with 10, Shas with 9, The Democrats with 8, United Torah Judaism with 8, Otzma Yehudit with 6, and the Arab parties Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al with 4 each.
The survey also reveals that Eisenkot’s Yashar is gaining ground on Bennett’s Together as the largest opposition party, leading to tensions within the anti-Netanyahu camp. Bennett and Lapid have invited Eisenkot to join their alliance, with Lapid reportedly willing to step down to accommodate him, but Eisenkot has declined, preferring to focus on maximizing the opposition's overall vote.
Additionally, the poll explored a scenario where Arab parties unite under a Joint List, which would yield 13 seats for the Arab bloc but reduce the anti-Netanyahu Zionist bloc to 59 seats, below the majority threshold. Israel is required to hold elections by October 27, although some analysts anticipate the date may be moved forward.
