Likud, Yesh Atid neck-and-neck in new poll, while Zionist Union sinks

A Channel 2 survey released Friday shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud tied with the centrist Yesh Atid party, with each winning 25 seats in the Knesset if elections were held today.

The new survey showed both parties gaining ground since a September poll, in which former finance minister Yair Lapid’s party led with 24 Knesset seats to Likud’s 22.

Formed by Lapid in 2012, the Yesh Atid party stormed to a surprising 19-seat success in the 2013 elections for the Knesset, becoming the second largest party and joining the Likud in a coalition. In the 2015 elections the party slid to the 11 seats it currently holds in the Knesset, where it sits in the opposition.

According to the new poll the third largest party would be the Joint (Arab) List which would maintain its current strength with 13 seats, followed by the Orthodox-nationalist Jewish Home with 11 seats (compared to 8 today).

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union, which is currently the second largest Knesset faction with 24 seats, would drop to fifth place with a mere 10 seats.

Yisrael Beytenu would be next in line with 8 seats, followed by Shas, Meretz, United Torah Judaism and Kulanu — all with 7 seats.

Yesh Atid’s surge is seen to come largely at the expense of the Zionist Union, which would see over half of its voters switch allegiance to Lapid.

The margin of error for the poll, breakdown of respondents, and timing of the poll were not published by the channel.