An Israeli opinion poll released on Monday reveals the 'Yeshar' party, led by former Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, leading the electoral race with 25 seats, as opposed to the 'Likud' party under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which secured 21 seats. The survey indicates a clear majority for opposition parties in the Knesset.
The 'Midgam' Consultancy and Research Institute conducted the poll for Israel's Channel 12 ahead of the general elections scheduled for October 27.
The results show the 'Yeshar' party gaining one seat since the last poll, making it the largest party in the 120-seat Knesset if elections were held now.
Conversely, 'Likud' dropped two seats, settling at 21 seats.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's party 'Together' garnered 13 seats, decreasing by two seats to its lowest level, while the 'Democrats' led by Yair Golan maintained 11 seats.
Avigdor Lieberman's 'Yisrael Beitenu' declined by one seat to 8 seats.
The ultra-Orthodox 'United Torah Judaism', led by Yaakov Asher, received 8 seats, whereas the 'Shas' party, led by Aryeh Deri, obtained 7 seats.
The survey allocated 6 seats to the 'Religious Zionism' and 'Zehut' alliance, headed by Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin. Meanwhile, 'Your People Israel' led by Ofer Winter received 4 seats.
Among Arab parties, the 'Joint List' under Yousef Jabareen secured 7 seats, with the 'United Arab List' led by Mansour Abbas winning 4 seats.
Several parties failed to cross the 3.25 percent electoral threshold, including 'Blue and White' led by Benny Gantz and 'Noam Yisrael' led by Avi Maoz.
Opposition Surpasses Majority Threshold
Overall, the poll allocated 68 seats to the opposition bloc, with 57 for Jewish parties and 11 for Arab parties.
The Netanyahu camp secured 52 seats, an increase of two seats with Smotrich and Winter's parties surpassing the threshold.
Any coalition requires the support of at least 61 deputies to form a governing majority in the Knesset.
Eizenkot Ahead of Netanyahu
Eizenkot's superiority extends beyond seat numbers, as the poll also shows him leading Netanyahu in suitability for the prime minister role.
Forty-two percent of respondents preferred Eizenkot, compared to 35 percent for Netanyahu, a 7-point lead.
These results surface weeks before the general elections, amid Israeli parties finalizing candidate lists and restructuring electoral alliances.
Eizenkot decided against merging with Bennett's party, while Ofer Winter chose to run independently rather than join Smotrich's party.