Two opinion polls have shown that the approval rating for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declined due to judicial reforms pushed by his far-right coalition, deepening a crisis that has shaken Israel, affected the military, harmed the economy, and stirred discontent in Washington. According to the polls, if Netanyahu were to hold elections now, the number of seats for his ruling coalition would drop from 64 to 52 or 53 in the 120-seat Knesset.
A survey published by the "N12 News" channel indicated that the seats secured by Netanyahu's Likud party would decrease from 32 to 28, while a poll by Channel 13 projected that the party's seats would fall to 25. Netanyahu received an approval rating of 38 percent from participants, with the poll also revealing that a majority of Israelis want either to abandon the judicial reform plan entirely or negotiate it with the opposition. Less than a quarter of participants supported the current reform plan.
Political analyst Amitz Asael stated, "There are hardliners who will follow Netanyahu blindly into any abyss. However, there is a significant bloc among Likud voters who are not satisfied with what is happening now." Meanwhile, street protests have substantially decreased as the Knesset approaches a long summer break beginning July 30. Legislators are set to reconvene in mid-October, and Netanyahu has set November as a target for consensus with opposition parties. Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, "Enemies of Israel have been holding high-level meetings to consider the unrest and how they can benefit from it."
