Story perspectives

Maariv Poll Shows Gadi Eisenkot Leads Netanyahu 49%–41%

By Drooid · Oct 25, 2026, 10:17 AM UTC · How we work

Center

Eisenkot leads poll

Israel will hold a general election on Tuesday, the first since the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Netanyahu is shifting his campaign to court voters of smaller right-wing parties, while a Maariv poll puts challenger Gadi Eisenkot of Yashar ahead 49% to 41%.
In the southern city of Dimona, longtime Likud supporters are actively campaigning for Eisenkot.
Sixty percent favor a unity government if no clear majority emerges.

Left

Deepfake Election Tactics

Israel will hold a general election on Tuesday, the first since the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
The election is framed as deepening social divisions, threatening democracy, and marginalising Palestinians amid corruption and judicial reforms.
Netanyahu faces three 2019 corruption cases and pushes judicial reforms increasing coalition control over courts.
Both camps used AI-generated deepfake videos and bots, heightening online political violence.

Blindspot

Law enforcement agencies have ordered National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir not to join West Bank demolition operations amid accusations of electioneering in the context of the upcoming election.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

On 17 May 1977 Israel held its ninth Knesset election, where Menachem Begin’s Likud captured 33.4% of the vote and 43 seats, ending three decades of Alignment rule in an event dubbed the “Mahapach.” The upheaval introduced a near-two-decade era of balanced left-right blocs, a pattern echoed today as Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud confronts a fragmented parliament and contentious judicial reforms.

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Eisenkot leads poll

Israel will hold a general election on Tuesday, the first since the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Netanyahu is shifting his campaign to court voters of smaller right-wing parties, while a Maariv poll puts challenger Gadi Eisenkot of Yashar ahead 49% to 41%.
In the southern city of Dimona, longtime Likud supporters are actively campaigning for Eisenkot.
Sixty percent favor a unity government if no clear majority emerges.

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