Surprising? New Poll Reveals That Netanyahu's Coalition Is in Serious Trouble

A new political poll published today indicates a dramatic shift in the Israeli political landscape. The survey shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition has lost its majority, falling to 49 seats. In a significant development, the opposition bloc, composed of a variety of center and right-leaning parties, now holds a majority of 61 seats, a number that does not include the 10 seats held by the Arab parties.

The poll,conducted by Lazar Research for the Ma'ariv newspaper, reveals several key changes in party strength. Naftali Bennett's "Bennett 2026" party has dropped to 20 seats, a loss of three from the previous week. The newly formed "Yasher!" party led by former Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot holds 9 seats. The survey also shows a major collapse for the Religious Zionism party, which falls below the electoral threshold to zero seats, while Benny Gantz's Blue and White party has risen to 4 seats. Likud, meanwhile, saw a modest increase to 25 seats.

The poll also explored the potential impact of mergers between key opposition figures. In a hypothetical scenario where Bennett and Eizenkot were to unite, their combined list would become the largest single party with 29 seats. While this would be a powerful force, the analysis suggests such a union would paradoxically reduce the overall opposition bloc to 59 seats, as the Blue and White party would drop below the threshold. However, this unified list would likely be given the first opportunity to form a government.

Public trust in the Prime Minister also appears to be declining. The poll found that a majority of Israelis, 52%, do not trust Netanyahu to serve as Prime Minister. In a breakdown by political affiliation, 91% of coalition voters trust him, while 85% of opposition voters expressed their distrust.