A new poll conducted for the Likud Party shows that despite ongoing investigations against the prime minister, if elections were held today, Likud would rise by an additional four seats.
According to the poll results, published by the Israel Hayom newspaper, Likud would receive 34 Knesset seats, which would be the largest number of seats Netanyahu has held in any government. Likud currently has 30 mandates. Opposition MK Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid Party would receive 20 mandates, making it the new second-largest party in Israel. The current second-largest party, opposition party Zionist Union, would plummet from its current 24 seats to just nine.
Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home Party would rise from eight to nine seats, the Ashkenazi United Torah Judaism Party would climb from six to nine seats, and far-left Meretz Party would rise from five to seven seats.
The Joint Arab List would drop from 13 to 11, the Sephardic-religious Shas Party would drop from seven seats to just over the electoral threshold at four, and would tie with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu Party. Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu Party would drop from 10 seats to six.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the subject of at least three ongoing corruption investigations. Legal opinions state that he would not need to resign his post if indicted. A conviction in any of the cases, however, could force his ouster.
