Poll: Likud, Blue and White to Grow, But Still No Winning Bloc for Either

YERUSHALAYIM
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu (R.) and Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz at a memorial ceremony marking 24 years since the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, in the Knesset, Sunday. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

With no apparent way out of the political stalemate in Israel, attention is turning towards a third Knesset election in the space of less than a year – and a poll by Channel 13 shows that the large parties will be the main beneficiaries of those elections.

According to the poll conducted by the Camille Fuchs organization, Blue and White would gain two seats over their current number, getting 35 seats in a new Knesset. The Likud would likewise grow by two seats, getting 34 in the next election. Faring less well are smaller parties, including the chareidi parties; Shas would get six seats, three fewer than it has now, and United Torah Judaism would get six as well, one less than it currently has. The Democratic Camp and Labor would also fall in number, getting five and four seats respectively.

The poll also included the two components of Yamina, which have now split into the New Right and National Union. Each would get four seats, although thanks to the deal that made Naftali Bennett defense minister, the New Right is currently a faction of the Likud. Also gaining would be Yisrael Beytenu, which would get nine seats, one more than it currently has. The United Arab List would get 13 seats. In terms of blocs, new elections will not solve anything, as the leftist bloc, including the UAL, would have 57 seats, while the rightwing bloc would have 54, one less than it has now.

The poll also asked whom voters would choose if elections were held only for prime minister, according to a proposal by Shas chairman Rabbi Aryeh Deri. In that event, 40% said they would vote for Binyamin Netanyahu, while 37% said they would choose Benny Gantz. 13% said they would choose someone other than them, while 9% said they weren’t sure.

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