TV polls show Gantz-led bloc still trailing Likud

Israel’s main nightly broadcasts offer new polls on the upcoming elections —  with and without wildcard Benny Gantz, who has yet to announce whether he will run in the next election.

According to Channel 10, if elections were held today: Likud would receive 30 seats; Yesh Atid would get 15; Zionist Union would receive 12; the Joint (Arab) List would receive 12; the Jewish Home would win 10; Orly Levy-Abekasis’s party would receive 8; Yisrael Beytenu, United Torah Judaism, and Meretz would all receive 7; Kulanu and Shas would receive 6.

With Gantz installed as the leader of a party, the Likud would receive 27 seats, followed by Gantz with 15, and Yesh Atid with 12, it said.

Should Gantz team up with Yesh Atid, together they could win 26 seats to Likud’s 27, the network says.

But it notes the center-left bloc overall appears poised to win just 54 seats — not enough to cobble together a coalition.

According to Hadashot TV,  with Gantz: Likud would win 29 seats, Gantz’s party would get 16 seats, the Joint (Arab) List would take 12 seats, the Zionist Union would get 11, as would Yesh Atid.

Should Gantz run on a joint ticket with the Zionist Union, the Likud would win 31 seats, and the alliance would get 25, it said. Yesh Atid would win 11 seats in such a scenario.

According to Hadashot, a majority of respondents (52%) don’t want Netanyahu to be the next prime minister, while 34% do.