Poll Shows Yamina Closing in on Likud

A new poll published Tuesday evening shows the right-wing opposition party Yamina is closing the gap with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud faction, which has come under fire in recent months over its handling of the coronavirus epidemic and economy.

Conducted by the Midgam Institute and published by Channel 12, the new survey shows that if an election were held today, Likud would win just 26 seats, while Naftali Bennett’s right-wing party would win 23 seats.

Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party would win 18 seats, followed by the Arab-Israeli Joint List faction with 15 seats.

The poll also shows a massive decline for the Blue and White party, which won 33 seats in the March election before splintering off into separate factions, and would only win nine seats.

Shas would win eight seats, as would Yisrael Beyteinu party. United Torah Judaism would win seven mandates.

The left-wing Meretz party would earn five seats, while the Labor Party would not pass the electoral threshold.

Thus the right-wing bloc, supported by the chareidi parties, could garner a 65 seat majority against 55 for the center-left bloc supported by the Joint List political faction.

No election is currently scheduled, but speculation is rife on a dissolution of the Knesset in the coming months as a clash over the country’s budget looms in late December.

The survey also revealed that no less than 49% of Israelis, disappointed with the current government, would be in favor of early elections, a fourth contest since April 2019.