Likud Slips in Latest Poll

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has lost some ground in the latest polling, though still well ahead of any challengers for national leadership.

A poll by Hadashot news published on Tuesday night showed that if elections were held now, Likud would receive 30 seats, the same as it has currently in the Knesset. By contrast, recent polls predicted the party would take as many as 35 seats in early elections.

However, the runner-up Yesh Atid party posed no serious challenge with only 19 seats, though the number could make it a pivotal power in the formation of the next government coalition.

According to the findings, the current coalition partners would have only 59 seats in the Knesset, just short of a majority, which could lead to a new configuration.

The poll also said that Zionist Camp would receive 15, the Joint (Arab) List 12, Jewish Home 8, Kulanu, United Torah Judaism and Yisrael Beytenu would each have 7, while Meretz, Shas, independent candidate MK Orly Levy-Abekasis would each win five seats.

Asked for their opinion of the government’s handling of the incendiary kite threat from Gaza, some 70 percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the military response versus just 21 percent saying it was satisfactory.