Netanyahu’s Likud continues to build gap over rivals in new poll

A new Hadashot TV news poll shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continuing to gain support over his political rivals and current coalition partners.

According to the poll, Netanyahu’s Likud party would win 32 seats if elections were held today, an increase of two from its current 30.

In second place after Likud is Yair Lapid’s centrist Yesh Atid party with 18 seats, followed by the center-left Zionist Union faction and Joint (Arab) List, at 12 seats apiece.

The pro-settlement Jewish Home party would win 10 seats, according to the poll, while the center-right Kulanu and United Torah Judaism would each receive 7 seats.

Next in the survey was the left-wing Meretz party with 6 seats, the same tally that an as-yet-to-be-named party headed by independent MK Orly Levy-Abekasis would get.

Wrapping up the poll were the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party and ultra-Orthodox Shas, which would each pickup 5 seats.

The poll also asked potential voters how they would vote if former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz were to run in elections with his own political party.

With Gantz in the race, Likud would only win 29 seats, Yesh Atid would drop to 13 and Zionist Union to 10, while Gantz’s hypothetical party would garner 12.

— Raoul Wootliff