Gap between coalition and opposition in Israel narrows to two seats — Jerusalem Post

In Israel, the gap between the coalition bloc and the Zionist opposition bloc has narrowed to two seats in the Knesset. According to a poll, the coalition would win 51 seats, two more than in the previous survey, while the opposition bloc would receive 53 seats, two fewer. This was reported by The Jerusalem Post, citing a Maariv poll.

Changes in party ratings

The Yashar party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, lost one seat and would have 21 seats. Over the month, its support in seat terms declined by four mandates. Likud gained one seat, reaching 19, while the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism also each gained one seat, reaching seven.

The Democrats party lost one seat and would receive 10 mandates. The Religious Zionism–Zehut bloc fell from six to five seats. Beyachad would retain 13 mandates, Yisrael Beiteinu and Jewish Power would have nine each, the Joint Arab List seven, and Ra'am five.

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Candidate assessments and security concerns

In a direct comparison of suitability for the post of prime minister, incumbent head of government Benjamin Netanyahu received 47% versus 41% for Gadi Eisenkot. In a comparison with Naftali Bennett, Netanyahu had 41%, while Bennett had 45%. Compared with Avigdor Lieberman, Netanyahu received 44% versus 39%.

Additionally, 67% of respondents said they were very or fairly concerned about the possibility of a security event on the scale of the events of October 7, 2023. Twenty-six percent of respondents were not concerned about such a scenario, while another 7% did not know how to answer. The survey was conducted on September 30 and October 1 by Lazar Research jointly with Panel4ALL among 602 respondents aged 18 and older; the stated margin of error was 4%.