Israeli poll suggests limited impact of joint Labor-Meretz-Barak slate

A new poll commissioned by Israel’s Channel 12 News has shown that a joint slate amongst so-called centre-left parties would have a limited impact on their electoral fortunes.

As reported by Haaretz, “an alliance of Meretz, Labor and Ehud Barak’s Israel Democratic Party (Yisrael Demokratit) would not change the electoral balance between the centre-left and the right-wing”.

Were such an alliance to be created, Likud would win 31 Knesset seats in the September election – the same as it would without the alliance – while Benny Gantz’s Blue and White list would drop to 28 Knesset members, from its current 30.

Meanwhile, an alliance of right-wing parties led by former justice minister Ayelet Shaked would win 12 seats at Likud’s expense, “leaving the ruling party with just 28 seats”. Blue and White would be unchanged.

READ: Israel’s Barak, US sex trafficking suspect Epstein ties exposed

The poll gave the Joint List 11 seats, Yisrael Beiteinu 10, United Torah Judaism 8, Shas 7, Labor 6, Hayamin Hehadash 5, Democratic Israel 4, Meretz 4 and Union of Right-Wing parties 4.

According to a report in the Times of Israel, the heads of Meretz, Labor, and Ehud Barak’s Israel Democratic Party are “in a whirlwind of meetings” in a bid to put together an alliance.

“According to the Maariv website”, the report noted, “a Meretz source says the party is eager to unite and avoid the risk of falling below the 3.25 percent electoral threshold”.