Poll shows Bennett party passing Likud, trouncing current coalition

A poll published by the Kan public broadcaster is the latest to show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition falling well short of the support needed to retain power were elections held today. It also shows a potential party headed by former prime minister Naftali Bennett surpassing Netanyahu’s Likud as the largest, reflecting wide displeasure with the current government and its handling of the war.

According to the poll, even if Bennett stays out of the race, parties in the current coalition would muster only 53 seats, well short of the 61 needed for a majority. The poll is the latest to show Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope falling out of the Knesset altogether. Parties arrayed against Netanyahu would pull 62 seats, assuming the Islamist Ra’am is again pulled into the governing coalition.

In a scenario where Bennett runs, his party would snag 24 seats to Likud’s 22, the poll finds. Assuming that Bennett once again links up with parties opposed to Netanyahu, as the far-right politician did in 2021 when he pushed the Likud leader from power, the alliance would hit 63 seats even without the support of Ra’am, which would add another five seats. In that scenario, Religious Zionism, led by Bennett’s erstwhile partner Bezalel Smotrich, would not pass the threshold to enter the Knesset, along with New Hope.

The Kantar Insights poll, which surveyed nearly 2,500 people over the internet, generally confirms trends seen in previous polls in recent months.

Elections are not scheduled for several more years, but many analysts believe they will be called once the war in Gaza winds down.