As the coalition in Israel faced its most critical week—marked by a dramatic overnight vote and looming threats of government collapse and new elections—Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the chareidi parties are enjoying solid support, with the coalition bloc maintaining its strength, according to a new Channel 14 poll.
If elections were held today, Netanyahu’s Likud party would secure 33 Knesset seats, making it the largest party by far. Trailing behind is Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu with 17 seats, followed by Yair Golan’s Democrats with 15.
The poll shows Shas holding steady with 11 seats. United Torah Judaism, which has been at the center of media attention due to the ongoing draft law standoff, would receive 8 seats, matching the total for the National Unity party.
Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit would secure 6 seats, as would Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid, which continues to decline. Religious Zionism is projected to drop to 5 seats.
Among the Arab parties, Hadash-Ta’al would receive 6 seats, Ra’am would secure 5, while Balad once again fails to pass the electoral threshold, receiving only 2.2% of the vote.
In terms of coalition alignment, the current government’s five-party bloc would maintain a majority with 63 seats. Opposition parties would control 46 seats, while the Arab factions would hold the remaining 11.
In a hypothetical scenario where Naftali Bennett re-enters the political arena with a party called “Bennett 2026,” Likud would drop slightly to 32 seats. Bennett’s new party would earn 14, with Golan’s Democrats following at 13. Shas would retain its 11 seats, while Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu would fall to 9. UTJ remains at 8, Otzma Yehudit at 6, and National Unity at 6.
Near the bottom of the chart, Yesh Atid and Religious Zionism are each projected to receive just 5 seats. Among the Arab parties, Hadash-Ta’al would gain one seat to reach 6, Ra’am would stay at 5, and Balad would once again fail to clear the threshold.
Under this Bennett-included scenario, the coalition bloc would hold 62 seats, opposition parties would increase slightly to 47, and the Arab factions would remain at 11.
When asked who is best suited to serve as prime minister, 52% of respondents favored Netanyahu, compared to 21% who chose Yair Lapid, with 27% saying they support neither.
In a matchup with Benny Gantz, Netanyahu again leads with 52%, while Gantz garners only 16%, and 32% prefer neither. Against Lieberman, Netanyahu remains at 52%, Lieberman receives 30%, and 18% back neither. Facing Bennett, Netanyahu earns 52% support, while 36% choose Bennett, with 12% opting for neither.
{Matzav.com Israel}
