Competing poll by Channel 12 shows similar coalition troubles for Netanyahu

Channel 12 also publishes its first election poll tonight, showing slightly different figures from Channel 13 but leaving Netanyahu with the same coalition-building problems.

The results in Knesset seats are:

Likud – 32
Blue and White – 31
Arab (Joint) List – 12
Yisrael Beytenu – 9
Labor – 8
Shas – 7
United Torah Judaism – 7
Jewish Home-National Union – 5
New Right – 5
Meretz – 4
Ehud Barak’s party – 0 seats (at 3% of the vote, it falls under the 3.25% threshold for entering the Knesset)
Zehut – 0 seats (2.1% of the vote)

That gives 56 seats to a right-Haredi coalition, five short of the 61-seat majority required to hold together a coalition. And, as with the Channel 13 poll also published tonight, it grants Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party the final seats (9 in all) that Netanyahu will need to form a stable coalition.

Channel 12 also asks which candidate is most fitting to be prime minister. The results are good for Netanyahu — and terrible news for Barak.

When the choice was Netanyahu or Blue and White’s Benny Gantz, 40% prefer Netanyahu, 30% Gantz.

When Netanyahu faces off against Barak, 41% prefer Netanyahu, 16% Barak.