Poll shows Israeli opposition ahead of Netanyahu bloc by 18 seats
10:59, 13/10/2026, TuesdayU: Update: 11:22, 13/10/2026, Tuesday
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Channel 12 survey projects opposition parties would secure 67 parliamentary seats against 49 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition, with former army chief Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party leading the field as Israelis prepare to vote on Oct. 27.
Israeli opposition parties would win 67 of the Knesset's 120 seats compared with 49 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, according to a Channel 12 poll published Monday ahead of elections scheduled for Oct. 27.
Opposition bloc gains ground
The survey projected 54 seats for Zionist parties opposed to the prime minister and 13 for Arab parties, while a grouping described as the "third bloc" would secure four seats. A parliamentary majority requires at least 61 seats to form a government in the 120-member legislature.
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.
Yashar leads field
Former army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party led the projections 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, matching 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.
Eisenkot widens lead over Netanyahu
On suitability for prime minister, Eisenkot led Netanyahu by 45 percent to 35 percent, widening his advantage to 10 percentage points from three in the previous poll. Bennett also edged ahead of Netanyahu, receiving 37 percent support compared with the prime minister's 36 percent.
Netanyahu led Avigdor Lieberman by 35 percent to 27 percent, although the gap narrowed to eight percentage points from 17 in the previous survey. Channel 12 said around 8 percent 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.