Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition weakened again this week against the backdrop of the recent Houthi drone strike in Eilat, injuring dozens, and Israel’s growing international isolation, according to a Maariv poll published Friday.
As Israel continues to operate in Gaza City, the opposition bloc strengthened this week, reaching a majority of 62 seats, compared to 48 for Netanyahu’s coalition. Arab parties gain an additional 10 seats.
The poll also showed that Yoaz Hendel’s Reservists' Party received only four seats, continuing its steady decline.
Additionally, the Reservists' party's entry into the political arena has again brought Benny Gantz's Blue and White party below the electoral threshold, with only 2.9% support.
Despite the coalition bloc weakening, the Likud party strengthened by one seat this week.
The Democrats, led by Yair Golan, continue to maintain stability and even gained one seat this week, making it the second-largest party in the opposition bloc, after Naftali Bennett’s party. Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid also gained one seat this week, while Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu weakened by one seat.
War in Gaza, recognition of Palestinian state, and international isolation
According to the poll, most Israelis (63%) reported being concerned about the expanding international recognition of a Palestinian state, while 32% are not concerned, and 5% have no opinion. This concern is shared by both the right and the left – 59% of those intending to vote for coalition parties and 69% of opposition voters expressed concern.
The poll also indicated that most Israelis are worried about the possibility of Israel being excluded from international cultural events and sports competitions. Thirty-six percent are not concerned, and 5% have no opinion. The breakdown shows that a majority of coalition voters (62%) are not concerned, while a large majority (82%) of opposition voters are worried about this possibility.
Additionally, most Israelis (53%) believe Israel should stop fighting and focus on bringing back all the hostages.
While this is the belief of nearly 75% of opposition voters, 77% of coalition supporters (37% overall) believe Israel should continue fighting until Hamas is defeated, and 10% of voters are unsure.
A similar percentage of Israelis (53%) support US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza. Only 17% oppose it, and a relatively high percentage (30%) said they have no opinion on the matter. Support for Trump's plan is significantly higher among opposition voters, with 72% compared to the coalition's 41%.
The survey was carried out on Thursday, among 502 adult respondents, both Jews and Arabs. The maximum sampling error is +/-4.4%. The survey was conducted for Maariv by Lazar Research, headed by Dr. Menachem Lazar, in cooperation with the online respondent panel Panel4All.