Survey points to mounting support for Eisenkot to replace Gantz as head of National Unity party

A Channel 12 survey points to mounting support for MK Gadi Eisenkot to replace Benny Gantz as the head of the National Unity Party.

The network polled two scenarios under the likely scenario where former prime minister Naftali Bennett returns to politics and starts a new party. With Eisenkot as the head of National Unity, the centrist faction received 12 seats, while when Gantz is at the helm, it only receives 8 seats.

Gantz has come under fire for regularly avoiding to take clear stances on contentious issues to avoid upsetting either side of the political spectrum, while Eisenkot has taken more clear positions, particularly in favor of securing the release of hostages and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war.

The poll’s 501 respondents were asked who they would vote for if elections were held today with the same current parties competing.

The results were as follows:

Likud: 25 seats
National Unity: 17 seats
The Democrats: 14 seats
Yesh Atid: 13 seats
Yisrael Beytenu: 12 seats
Shas: 9 seats
United Torah Judaism: 8 seats
Otzma Yehudit: 7 seats
Religious Zionism: 5 seats
Hadash-Ta’al: 5 seats
Ra’am: 5 seats
Balad: 0 seats
New Hope: 0 seats

This leads the current coalition with just 54 seats. The opposition without Hadash-Ta’al, which is less likely to join any government would have 61 seats — enough to form a coalition, but a slight drop from previous polls.

Respondents were then asked who they would vote for in the likely scenario with Bennett returning to politics with a new party.

The results were as follows:

Likud: 23 seats
Naftali Bennett’s party: 23 seats
The Democrats: 12 seats
Yesh Atid: 9 seats
Shas: 9 seats
United Torah Judaism: 8 seats
National Unity: 8 seats
Yisrael Beytenu: 7 seats
Otzma Yehudit: 7 seats
Hadash-Ta’al: 5 seats
Ra’am: 5 seats
Religious Zionism: 4 seats
Balad: 0 seats
New Hope: 0 seats

This leads the current coalition with just 51 seats. The opposition with Bennett’s party and without Hadash-Ta’al would have 64 seats. But several of those opposition lawmakers have pledged not to sit in a government that is reliant on the Islamist Ra’am party, which would mean that the bloc would not have enough to form a coalition and that Israel would return to another period of political paralysis.

Asked who is more fit to serve as prime minister in head-to-head matchups, respondents said the following:

Netanyahu: 39%
Lapid: 25%

Netanyahu: 37%
Gantz: 27%

Netanyahu: 36%
Bennett: 37%

Netanyahu: 36%
Eisenkot: 31%

As for when elections should be held, 55% of the public said as soon as possible, 37% said in late 2026, as scheduled, and 8% said they were not sure.