Eisenkot’s Yashar emerges as largest party while Bennett leads Netanyahu in leadership ratings
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has fallen to its lowest polling level since June 2025, according to a Maariv survey published on Friday, while opposition parties continued to hold a narrow parliamentary majority.
The poll projected Likud at 20 seats in the 120-member Knesset, down to its weakest showing in more than a year. Meanwhile, former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party gained one seat to reach a record 23, opening a three-seat lead over Likud.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s Together alliance also gained one seat, rising to 17, while Yisrael Beytenu increased to 10 seats. Yair Golan’s Democrats remained unchanged at 11 seats.
Within Netanyahu’s coalition, Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, climbed to eight seats, matching the projected strength of Shas and United Torah Judaism. Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party also gained one seat to reach five.
Opposition retains majority
Despite minor gains by coalition parties, the opposition bloc maintained a projected majority of 61 seats. Netanyahu’s coalition improved to 49 seats, while Arab parties remained steady with 10 seats.
The survey also found that Yesodot Israel, led by Chili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel, failed to cross the electoral threshold with 2.9% support. Balad and Benny Gantz’s Blue and White also remained below the threshold.
Additionally, 46% of Zionist opposition voters said Bennett and Yair Lapid should continue their political alliance, while 31% preferred they contest future elections separately.
Leadership ratings remain competitive
In a separate question on suitability for prime minister, Bennett received 45% support compared with Netanyahu’s 42%.
Eisenkot performed even better, leading Netanyahu by 46% to 40% in a direct comparison. However, when matched against Bennett, Eisenkot secured 38% support while Bennett received 23%.
The Maariv poll was conducted by Lazar Research in cooperation with the Panele4ALL online panel between July 22 and 23. The survey included 500 Jewish and Arab respondents aged 18 and above and reported a maximum margin of sampling error of 4.4%.
