Poll Shows Likud, Yisrael Beytenu Rise After Coalition Fiasco

New weekend polls show that both the Likud and Yisrael Beytenu are the big winners of the “reboot” of Knesset elections set for September. A poll published in Maariv Friday has the Likud, which will include Kulanu in its list, rising to 37 seats from its 35 in the just-disbanded Knesset. Yisrael Beytenu, however, jumps from its previous five to nine seats. Blue and White, meanwhile, would fall to 33 seats from its previous 35.

United Torah Judaism would match its previous 8 seats, while Shas would fall one seat, to 7. The United Right List would get 6 seats, and the New Right, it it runs, would get 5 seats. Meretz would get 6. Arab party Hadash-Ta’al would get 5 seats, while Ra’am-Balad would get 4, if the parties ran separately again. Labor does not pass the electoral threshold, and neither does Zehut.

If Yisrael Beytenu could still be considered part of the right-wing bloc, and if so, that bloc would get 72 seats, according to the results of the poll. But Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu could form a government even without that party. The poll also shows that if the Likud includes Ayelet Shaked on its list, the party would get 41 seats. If Naftali Bennett were to return to the United Right List, that party would rise to 7 seats.

The poll also shows that the large majority of Israelis – 65% – are unhappy over the repeat elections. The most unhappy are Likud voters, 82% of whom are angry over the dissolution of the Knesset. 46% of all Israelis said that the new elections were the fault of Avigdor Liberman, while 35% blamed Netanyahu. 12% said it was the fault of the chareidi parties.