Yet Another Poll Shows Likud Lead Rock-Solid

The Likud continues to lead in polls, with the latest released Motzoei Shabbos. The poll, broadcast on Hadashot News, has the Likud garnering 26 seats if elections were held today. The poll was taken at the end of last week, after further revelations in the latest investigation involving Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu – the so-called “Bezeq Case,” or Case 4000 – and the news that a Netanyahu confidante had signed a deal to testify against Netanyahu.

Following the Likud in the latest poll is Yesh Atid, which would get 22 seats in a new Knesset. Zionist Camp comes in with 15, followed by the United Arab List with 12. Weakening somewhat compared to recent polls is Jewish Home, which would get nine seats if elections were held now. Kulanu, too, weakens somewhat, falling to seven seats, the same number United Torah Judaism and Yisrael Beytenu would get. Meretz would get six seats, and Shas five.

As in previous polls, the latest one shows that neither Yesh Atid nor Zionist Camp would be able to form a government, unless they could recruit the chareidi parties, as well as United Arab List – considered a next-to-impossible likelihood by most in the political establishment. The poll shows that 63 percent of Israelis would vote for either rightwing or chareidi parties, giving the Likud a comfortable margin with which to form a new government.

Polls last week showed similar results. A Channel Ten poll showed that the Likud would get 27 seats if elections were held today. Yesh Atid would get 23 seats, Zionist Camp would get 15, United Arab List 12, Jewish Home 10, Kulanu eight, Meretz and Yisrael Beytenu seven, United Torah Judaism six, and Shas five. The poll also asked what the fate of the Likud would be if someone other than Netanyahu were leading the Likud. In that event, the party would get 26 seats, with Zionist Camp gaining one, to arrive at 16 seats. In any event, neither Yesh Atid nor Zionist Camp would have the ability to form a coalition, the poll results showed.

A poll released Wednesday by Yisrael Hayom showed similar results. If elections were held today, the party would get 34 seats in a new Knesset, four more than it currently has, said the poll that was taken by the Geocartigraphia organization on behalf of Yisrael Hayom. The poll also shows that Yesh Atid, led by Yair Lapid, is less popular than it has been. Recent polls have placed Yesh Atid’s strength at close to or even above 25 seats, but the new poll shows the party getting just 20 seats. Jewish Home, led by Naftali Bennett, would get 14 seats, while Zionist Camp would get just 12. Yisrael Beytenu would get six, Kulanu seven and Meretz six. United Torah Judaism, meanwhile, would get nine seats – the highest that party has ever polled. Shas would not garner enough votes for Knesset representation, according to the poll.