Story perspectives

Poll projects opposition bloc winning 57 Knesset seats

9/5/2026

Summary

Poll predicts opposition

Lazar Research poll of 600 Israelis projects the opposition bloc winning 57 Knesset seats versus Netanyahu’s 51.
The same poll forecasts Arab parties securing 12 of the 120 seats.
Religious Zionism led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is expected to win five seats, crossing the electoral threshold.
A Channel 13 poll finds 55% of Israelis fear a new war with Iran soon.

Summary

Netanyahu Campaigns

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is campaigning to retain power ahead of the October election.
He faces criticism for not ordering an independent inquiry into the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Opposition leader Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot accuse him of ignoring Hamas warnings before the attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks a presidential pardon while his corruption trial continues, limiting his political leverage.

History

Historical Context

The 17 May 1977 Israeli legislative election marked the “upheaval”, TV anchor Haim Yavin announced the result, when Menachem Begin’s Likud secured a plurality of seats with 79% voter turnout, ending the Alignment’s three-decade rule. This shift inaugurated nearly two decades of balanced left-right blocs, a pattern echoed today as fragmented coalitions debate security in Israel after the October 7 Hamas attack.

1 of 3

Poll predicts opposition

Lazar Research poll of 600 Israelis projects the opposition bloc winning 57 Knesset seats versus Netanyahu’s 51.
The same poll forecasts Arab parties securing 12 of the 120 seats.
Religious Zionism led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is expected to win five seats, crossing the electoral threshold.
A Channel 13 poll finds 55% of Israelis fear a new war with Iran soon.

1 / 3