Likud tops poll for first time since formation of rival ‘Blue and White’ list

Likud topped a new poll published yesterday, edging out the rival Blue and White list for the first time since Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid united in their bid to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The survey for public broadcaster Kan gave Likud 31 seats in the Knesset, followed by Blue and White with 30.

Blue and White is a merger of former Israeli military head Gantz’s Israel Resilience Party, the Lapid-led Yesh Atid party, and former defence minister Moshe Ya’alon’s Telem party.

The poll found that the third largest party, a huge way behind, would be Labor, on nine seats, followed by Hadash-Ta’al, with eight seats.

Five parties – the New Right, Meretz, the Union of Right-Wing Parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas — were all predicted to win six seats.

Meanwhile, Yisrael Beitenu was predicted to win four seats, the same as Zehut and Ra’am-Balad.

According to reports, the results indicated that Netanyahu would be best positioned to form the next government at the head of a right-wing and ultra-Orthodox bloc.

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