Poll shows 48% of Israelis prefer Eisenkot as premier, compared with 40% for Netanyahu

Some 48% of Israelis would prefer Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister, compared with 40% for incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu if Knesset elections were held now, according to a poll published Friday, Anadolu reports.

The survey, published by the Israeli daily Maariv, showed Eisenkot ahead of Netanyahu in a direct prime minister preference matchup.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also led Netanyahu by 44% to 41%, while Netanyahu was ahead of Avigdor Lieberman by 42% to 38%, according to the poll.

The survey was conducted by Lazar Research and Panel4All on Sept. 16-17 among 4,089 respondents, with a maximum margin of error of 4 percentage points.

According to the results, Netanyahu’s governing coalition would secure 50 seats if Knesset elections were held now, compared with 54 seats for the opposition bloc.

Arab parties would win 12 seats, while the Reservists-Economic party would receive four seats, bringing the total to the Knesset’s 120 seats.

Eisenkot’s Yashar party remained the largest party in the poll with 23 seats, while Netanyahu’s Likud was projected to win 18.

Bennett’s Together party came third with 13 seats, unchanged from its previous polling result.

The Democrats, led by Yair Golan, received nine seats, the same number as Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu.

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The Jewish Power party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, was projected to win eight seats, while the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism and Shas parties received seven seats each.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party was projected to win six seats.

The Reservists-Economic party, led by Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha, and Ofer Winter’s Your People Israel party received four seats each.

Arab parties were projected to win 12 seats, including seven for the Joint Arab List and five for Mansour Abbas’ United Arab List.

The poll said 38 lists had registered to contest the upcoming Knesset elections, with 13 projected to cross the electoral threshold and enter parliament.

A government in Israel requires the support of at least 61 lawmakers in the 120-seat Knesset.

The poll comes weeks before Israel’s general elections scheduled for Oct. 27.

Netanyahu has headed the current government since late December 2022.

He is facing corruption charges, while the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against him over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.​​​​​​​

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