ToI poll: Eisenkot opens up a lead on Netanyahu but both blocs still short of majority

Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition Yashar party would win 25 seats in the Knesset while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud would win just 21 if elections were held today, according to a new poll from The Times of Israel’s Zman Yisrael sister site.

Eisenkot has led most polls in recent weeks, but Netanyahu is usually hot on his heels, tied or a seat or two behind. The four-seat margin indicates a widening margin for the centrist former IDF chief.

But overall, the poll indicates little change in the sizes of the pro- and anti-Netanyahu blocs of parties. The so-called Change Bloc of Netanyahu’s opponents would win 58 seats, short of a majority of 61 in the 120-seat Knesset, while the pro-Netanyahu parties would win 50 seats.

Arab parties would win 12 seats, split evenly between Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al.

Behind the two leading parties, the center-right B’Yachad would win 13 while the hawkish Yisrael Beytenu would win 11 and the left-wing Democrats would win nine. All are part of the anti-Netanyahu bloc.

Following those are a succession of pro-Netanyahu parties. Shas and United Torah Judaism, both Haredi factions, would win eight each. The far-right Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism parties would win seven and six seats, respectively.

Three parties vying for the votes of right-wingers who are disenchanted with Likud would all receive too few votes to enter the Knesset.

The poll includes 500 respondents and was conducted on August 12-13, with a 4.4 percent margin of error.