Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ruling Likud Party remain the Jewish state’s most popular political force, according to a survey by pollster Shlomo Filber published over the weekend.
Filber, who accurately predicted the results of the country’s most recent general election on Nov. 1, 2022, polled a representative sample of 506 adults on Jan. 8, according to Thursday’s Channel 14 News report.
Together with his coalition of right-wing and conservative parties, the premier would control 66 seats in the 120-seat Knesset if an election were to be called today, according to the Channel 14 poll.
Opposition factions would take 54 mandates, including 10 for the two Arab-Israeli parties that would pass the 3.25% (four-seat) electoral threshold.
Netanyahu’s ruling Likud would secure 35 mandates in parliament, remaining stable since the previous Channel 14 survey published on Jan. 1.
The Likud Party has held 32 seats in the Knesset since the 2022 election, forming the core of Netanyahu’s coalition of right-wing and religious allies. The next national vote is scheduled for Oct. 27 unless early elections are called.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s “Bennett 2026" party received the next most projected seats (13), followed by the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties (11 and nine, respectively), Yisrael Beiteinu (nine), Gadi Eizenkot’s Yashar Party and Yair Golan’s The Democrats (eight each), Otzma Yehudit (seven), Yesh Atid (six), Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al (five each) and Religious Zionism (four).
Asked by Filber who would be best suited in the role of prime minister, Netanyahu maintained a wide lead, with 53% of respondents saying he was best suited for the job, the survey showed. Bennett trailed with 26% support, followed by Eizenkot (12%). Yesh Atid Party head and opposition leader Yair Lapid and Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Liberman each received 4% backing. Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz drew support from just 1% of respondents.
The survey was conducted against the backdrop of a deepening political crisis over legislation regulating the military conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jewish males, an issue that has put pressure on the coalition and prompted renewed scrutiny from the Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice.
The dispute over the draft bill has heightened tensions between secular and religious parties, with the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties formally exiting Netanyahu’s coalition over the issue last summer.
A separate survey published by the country’s Channel 12 broadcaster on Thursday showed the Likud Party winning 25 seats, followed by Bennett 2026 (21), The Democrats (12), Yesh Atid (nine), Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas, Otzma Yehudit and Yashar (eight each), United Torah Judaism (seven), Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am (five each), and Religious Zionism (four).
