Israeli opposition leads Netanyahu’s bloc by 18 seats ahead of elections: Poll
Israeli opposition leads Netanyahu’s bloc by 18 seats ahead of elections: Poll
Eisenkot leads Netanyahu 45%-35% in suitability for prime minister, according to Channel 12 survey
Zein Khalil and Rania Abushamala
13 October 2026•Update: 13 October 2026
JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL
Parties opposed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would win 67 of the Knesset’s 120 seats compared with 49 for his ruling coalition, according to a poll published Monday ahead of elections scheduled for Oct. 27.
The Channel 12 survey projected 54 seats for Zionist parties opposed to Netanyahu and 13 for Arab parties. A grouping the channel described as the “third bloc” would secure four seats.
A parliamentary majority of at least 61 seats is required to form a government.
The poll was conducted on Oct. 12 among a representative sample of 509 people aged 18 and older, with a maximum margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.
Former army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party led the poll with 23 seats, followed by Netanyahu’s Likud with 20, down one seat from the channel’s previous survey.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad party retained 13 seats, while Yair Golan’s Democrats party and Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party each received nine.
The Joint List, led by Yousef Jabareen, was projected to win eight seats, the same number as Aryeh Deri’s ultra-Orthodox Shas party and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party.
United Torah Judaism, led by Yaakov Asher, received seven seats, while the Religious Zionism-Zehut alliance led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and politician Moshe Feiglin secured six.
Mansour Abbas’ United Arab List received five seats, bringing the combined representation of Arab lists to 13.
The joint Reservists-Economic party led by Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha received four seats.
On suitability for prime minister, Eisenkot led Netanyahu by 45% to 35%, widening his advantage to 10 percentage points from three in the previous poll.
Bennett also edged ahead of Netanyahu, receiving 37% support compared with the prime minister’s 36%.
Netanyahu led Avigdor Lieberman by 35% to 27%, although the gap narrowed to eight percentage points from 17 in the previous survey.
Channel 12 said around 8% of respondents had yet to decide whom they would vote for.
Netanyahu has headed the current government since late December 2022, leading a coalition widely described as the most right-wing in Israel’s history.