Likud suffers serious decline in popularity 

The Likud Party headed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is suffering a serious decline in popularity, local media reports have claimed. His right-wing rival Naftali Bennett’s Yamina Party, meanwhile, is predicted to have a major surge in support.

According to Hebrew-language Maariv, a new poll shows that Likud would get 29 seats in the Knesset if an election was held today, compared with the 36 seats in the previous election.

Yamina party is predicted to get 14 seats, said Maariv, although another poll reported by the Times of Israel suggested that it could win 19 seats.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid-Telem Party would get 19 seats in an immediate election, followed by the Arab Joint List with 14. The Times of Israel suggests that the latter would actually get 15 Knesset seats.

Netanyahu’s partner in the current government, Defence Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz, is the head of the Blue and White bloc. It could expect 13 seats, with Yisrael Beiteinu led by Avigdor Lieberman holding on to seven seats, and Meretz polling enough votes for eight seats.

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