Netanyahu's Likud Gains One Seat in Channel 12 Poll

A Channel 12 poll published Thursday showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party winning 23 Knesset seats, one more than in prior surveys. Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party held second place with 21 seats. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's Together party fell one seat to 18.

The Democrats party led by former deputy IDF chief Yair Golan remained at 10 seats. Yisrael Beiteinu, Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit and Shas each received 9 seats. United Torah Judaism won 7 seats and Hadash-Ta'al won 6.

Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism and Mansour Abbas' United Arab List each secured 4 seats. The Jewish opposition held 58 seats while Netanyahu's government bloc held 52. Neither side reached the 61-seat majority required in the 120-seat Knesset.

The Arab party Balad received 1.5 percent of the vote, below the 3.25 percent threshold equivalent to 4 seats. A hypothetical joint slate of Benny Gantz's Kahol Lavan, Yoaz Hendel's Reservists Party and Dedi Simchi would win 5 seats according to the Channel 12 poll, crossing the threshold. Channel 13 and Kan public television polls published Wednesday showed the same slate winning 7 seats.

Gantz has called for Netanyahu to resign while rejecting claims that he is bound to the opposition. Hendel previously served in Gantz's party. Simchi has not voiced support for either the coalition or opposition.

The poll indicated such a slate would draw seats from both sides, reducing Netanyahu's bloc to 50 and the Jewish opposition to 55. The survey measured support around Netanyahu's statements that Israel will not withdraw from a security buffer zone in southern Lebanon and the conclusion of his trial testimony.