Netanyahu Bloc Leads for First Time Since October 7 Attack

A weekly political panel convened to analyze three major developments shaking Israeli politics with 40 days remaining until elections, including a Supreme Court decision that has sparked outrage in the Haredi community.

The panel brought together pollster Avi Widerman, head of the Super Data polling institute, alongside political commentators and analysts to examine the week's most significant stories affecting both the Haredi public and the broader political landscape.

The discussion opened with the Supreme Court's decision blocking memorial study days that had been legislated in honor of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. The justices ruled the matter moot after Religious Services Ministry director-general Yehuda Avidan announced he would be unable to organize the conference in time for technical reasons. The decision triggered a storm in the Haredi community, with Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef calling for a thousand memorial gatherings to be held across the country instead.

The panel then turned to what pollsters are calling a dramatic reversal in voter sentiment. A Channel 13 survey released this week showed that for the first time since the Simchat Torah surprise attack nearly three years ago, Netanyahu's bloc has pulled ahead of the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot. According to the poll, Netanyahu's coalition would command 54 Knesset seats compared to 52 for the opposition.

The final segment examined leadership changes within Yahadut HaTorah, including the appointment of MK Yaakov Asher as party chairman and MK Moshe Gafni's partnership role in leading the Degel HaTorah faction. A "launch and preparation meeting" was held this week at Degel HaTorah headquarters in Bnei Brak, bringing together outgoing MKs and new candidates on the party list.

Meanwhile, the HaTzibur HaHaredi party led by Moti Leitner is climbing in the HaMadad poll, reaching 2.5 mandates. Panelists debated whether this figure should concern the leadership of the established Haredi parties.