13.10.2026 06:40
According to the latest poll published ahead of the general elections to be held in Israel on October 27, the anti-Netanyahu opposition bloc reached 67 seats in the 120-seat parliament, while the ruling coalition remained at 49 seats. The Yashar Party led by Gadi Eisenkot placed first with 23 seats, while Netanyahu's Likud Party came second with 20 seats. In the preference for prime minister, Eisenkot held a lead over Netanyahu by 45 percent to 35 percent.
Two weeks before the general elections in Israel, the public opinion poll broadcast on Channel 12 television revealed the possible seat distribution of the parties in parliament. According to the poll, the anti-Netanyahu opposition bloc reaches 67 seats in the 120-seat Israeli parliament, the Knesset. It is estimated that 54 of these seats will belong to Zionist parties, and 13 to parties of Palestinian citizens of Israel.
While the number of seats of the ruling coalition led by Netanyahu is calculated as 49, the formation described as the third camp is predicted to win 4 seats. The survey was conducted on October 12 with a representative sample group of 509 people aged 18 and over. The poll's maximum margin of error was announced as 4.4 percent.
NETANYAHU'S PARTY IN SECOND PLACE
In the results regarding the seat distribution of the parties, the Yashar Party led by Gadi Eisenkot took first place with 23 seats. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, however, lost one seat compared to the previous poll and fell to 20 seats.
The Together Party led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett maintained its position with 13 seats. The Democrats led by Yair Golan and Israel Our Home led by Avigdor Lieberman were each predicted to win nine seats.
13 SEATS FOR PALESTINIAN PARTIES
According to the poll, the Joint List led by Yousef Jabareen from the parties of Palestinian citizens of Israel reached 8 seats. The United Arab List (Ra'am) led by Mansour Abbas won 5 seats. Thus, the total number of seats of the Palestinian parties was calculated as 13.
The ultra-Orthodox Jewish party Shas led by Aryeh Deri and the far-right Jewish Power party led by Itamar Ben-Gvir were also predicted to win eight seats each. United Torah Judaism led by Yakov Asher reached 7 seats, while the Religious Zionism and Identity alliance led by Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin remained at 6 seats. The Reservists-Economist list led by Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha was predicted to enter parliament with 4 seats.
EISENKOT 10 POINTS AHEAD IN PREMIERSHIP PREFERENCE
In the survey, participants were also asked which name they considered most suitable for the prime minister's post. In the question comparing Gadi Eisenkot and Benjamin Netanyahu, Eisenkot received 45 percent support, while Netanyahu received 35 percent.
Thus, the difference between the two names, which was 3 points in the previous poll, rose to 10 points in the latest survey. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also came out one point ahead of Netanyahu, by 37 percent to 36 percent.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, gained an advantage over Avigdor Lieberman by 35 percent to 27 percent. However, it was stated that the difference between the two names decreased from 17 points in the previous poll to 8 points. In Channel 12's report, it was conveyed that the rate of undecided voters was 8 percent.
61 SEATS NEEDED TO FORM A GOVERNMENT
In Israel, at least 61 lawmakers' support in the 120-seat Knesset is required to form a government. Netanyahu, who has been serving as prime minister since December 2022, leads the coalition described as the most right-wing government in Israel's history.
In Channel 12's latest survey, the opposition bloc being shown at 67 seats and the ruling coalition at 49 seats was among the striking data regarding the political picture before the election.