Recent opinion polls in Israel have shown a shift in political dynamics, with the rise of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition stalling while opposition parties gain traction.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that if elections were held today, the opposition would secure 58 seats compared to Netanyahu’s coalition with 52 seats and Arab parties with 10 seats.
The Likud party, headed by Netanyahu, would receive 24 seats, closely followed by the National Unity party led by Benny Gantz with 20 seats. The Yesh Atid and Israel Beiteinu parties would each secure 14 seats.
While Netanyahu has expressed reluctance to call for early elections amidst ongoing conflict with Hezbollah, the Lazar Institute poll sampled 500 Israelis to gauge political sentiment.
The recent surge in Netanyahu’s popularity was credited to military actions against Hezbollah, with Israel launching massive airstrikes in Lebanon. Despite warnings of a regional war, Israel further escalated the conflict with a ground incursion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.