Poll: Month into new government, Israelis still divided on whether they support it

A month after the establishment of the new Naftali Bennett-led government, Israelis are still split on whether they support the coalition, and a plurality continue to prefer Benjamin Netanyahu as premier, according to a survey by Channel 12.

If elections were held today, Likud would win 30 seats, again becoming the largest party, followed by Yesh Atid with 19, the survey says. That would be followed by Shas 9; Blue and White 8; Yamina 8; Labor 8; United Torah Judaism 7; Yisrael Beytenu 7; Joint List 6; Religious Zionism 5; New Hope 5; Ra’am 4; Meretz 4.

The current coalition would have 63 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, instead of the 61 it has now.

Participants in the survey were also asked about their preferred prime minister, with 40 percent saying Netanyahu; 24% Yair Lapid; and 14% Bennett. The respondents were split 45%-45% on whether they are pleased with the new government. Nearly half (49%) praised its handling of the pandemic, and 38% opposed it.