Poll: Ben Gvir is the preferred successor to Netanyahu among backers of PM’s current bloc

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, is the preferred candidate among voters of current coalition parties to lead the right-wing, pro-Benjamin Netanyahu bloc after the current prime minister is no longer in politics, a new poll shows.

The Maariv survey, conducted on July 10-11 by Lazar Research Institute along with Panel4All, finds that 24% of respondents prefer Ben Gvir, followed by ex-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen (14%) and Bezalel Smotrich, head of the fellow far-right Religious Zionism party (11%).

The poll also asks a representative sample of 500 Israeli adults (margin of error: 4.4%) who they would vote for if elections were held now, showing similar results to other recent surveys, with Benny Gantz’s National Unity at 24 Knesset seats to Likud’s 20, and with the current coalition parties only winning 50 seats, down from their current 64 in the 120-member parliament.

If a new right-wing party is introduced that includes former premier Naftali Bennett, Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Liberman, Yossi Cohen, New Hope chief Gideon Sa’ar and former minister Ayelet Shaked, it would become the largest party with 27 seats, followed by Likud with 18 and National Unity with 16.

A significant plurality among the public, 34%, believe Bennett should head such a party, with 11% backing Liberman, 9% saying Cohen, 8% Sa’ar and 5% Shaked. The other 33% say they don’t know.

Asked who is better fit to be prime minister, Gantz leads Netanyahu by five percentage points (43%-38%), while Bennett leads Netanyahu by 13 points (48%-35%).