Full Breakdown
Netanyahu bloc drops to 51 seats as Winter’s party falls short, poll shows
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Latest poll projects Netanyahu’s bloc at 51 seats
A Zman Yisrael poll released Thursday indicates that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc would hold 51 seats in a 120-seat Knesset, while the Zionist opposition bloc would secure 55 seats. The two Arab-majority parties together are forecast to win 14 seats. The People of Israel party, led by former general Ofer Winter, attracted 3 % of respondents—just below the 3.25 % electoral threshold, translating to roughly four seats.
Background & Context: Political landscape ahead of the October 27 election
The poll, conducted by Yossi Tatika of Tatika Research & Media with the Adgenda panel, surveyed 500 respondents and carries a margin of error of ±4.4 %. It follows a previous poll in which Winter’s party debuted at six seats. Netanyahu has repeatedly attacked Winter, accusing him of planning to “bolt to the opposition.” The survey also asked respondents how they would prefer to resolve a potential deadlock: 31.4 % favored new elections, 29.6 % a unity government, 27 % a minority government, and 12 % were undecided. Among Netanyahu supporters, 45.02 % preferred a unity government; among opponents, 39.79 % favored a minority government.
Data & Statistics: Seat projections and voter preferences
- Likud: 22 seats (down from 23)
- Yashar (Gadi Eisenkot): 24 seats (largest party)
- B’Yachad (Naftali Bennett): 14 seats
- Yisrael Beytenu (Avigdor Liberman): 9 seats
- Democrats (Yair Golan): 8 seats
- Shas: 10 seats (up from 9)
- United Torah Judaism: 9 seats
- Otzma Yehudit (Itamar Ben Gvir): 7 seats (up from 6)
- Religious Zionism (Bezalel Smotrich): 4 seats
Official Statements & Responses: Netanyahu and People of Israel reactions
He also labeled Eisenkot’s Yashar as a “weak, left-wing government” and asserted that only Likud “can guarantee Israel’s security.” In response, People of Israel issued a statement rejecting both claims, saying the first is false and the second “won’t come to pass.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “These elections are between right and left. There’s no straight — it’s a bluff.” — Benjamin Netanyahu, leaving prime minister