Despite the coalition bloc gaining one Knesset seat in the latest Maariv poll, bringing its total to 49, the opposition bloc maintained a majority with 61 seats, even without the Arab parties, which remain stable at 10 seats.
The polling was conducted by Lazar Research, led by Dr. Menachem Lazar, in cooperation with Panel4All.
The shift came in the wake of the unveiling of the Trump outline for ending the war in Gaza.
Meanwhile, in a head-to-head matchup for prime minister, the poll showed a near tie: 51% of respondents favor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while 49% back former prime minister Naftali Bennett. In a scenario pitting Netanyahu against Gadi Eisenkot, the prime minister held a 13-point lead, with 49% support compared to 36% for the former IDF chief of staff.
Bennett rises; Likud weakens slightly
Within the opposition, Bennett's faction experienced the most significant movement, gaining two seats to reach a total of 22. In contrast, the Democrats lost two seats, dropping from 12 to 10, and Eisenkot's faction fell from 9 to 7.
On the coalition side, Otzma Yehudit gained two seats, now polling at nine, while Likud lost one seat, dropping to 25.
When respondents were asked, “If the following parties were to run in the next Knesset elections, who would you vote for?” the results showed Likud leading with 25 seats, followed closely by Naftali Bennett’s party with 22. The Democrats and Yisrael Beytenu each received 10 seats, while Otzma Yehudit secured 9.
Shas followed with 8 seats. Eisenkot’s party, Yesh Atid, and United Torah Judaism each garnered 7 seats. Ra’am, the HaMiluimnikim (Reservists party), and Hadash-Ta’al each received 5 seats.
Meanwhile, Religious Zionism (2.3%), Balad (2%), and Blue and White (3%) failed to pass the electoral threshold.
Bennett seen as top candidate to lead opposition
Naftali Bennett was the preferred candidate among the Israeli public to lead the opposition heading into the next election. Some 23 percent of respondents named him as their top choice.
Among opposition voters, support for Bennett rose sharply to 37%. Gadi Eisenkot placed second with 11% support among the general public and 16% among opposition voters.
Broad support for Trump plan, tempered expectations
The poll found that 66% of Israelis support the Trump plan to end the war, while 11% oppose it and 23% said they do not know. The plan enjoys support from 74% of opposition voters and 61% of coalition voters. Among coalition supporters, 14% are opposed, and 26% remain undecided.
Despite the widespread support, public confidence in the plan’s success was more restrained. A plurality — 41% — believe there was a moderate chance the plan would be implemented.
Another 30% said the chances are slim, and just 14% expressed confidence that the plan has a high likelihood of succeeding. Fifteen percent said they did not know.