57% of Israelis support holding early elections: Poll

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

A new opinion poll has revealed that 57% of Israelis support holding early elections and that if they were held today, a new party led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett would emerge as the largest, winning 24 seats in the Knesset.

The survey, conducted by Israel’s private Channel 12 and published late Wednesday, showed that Bennett’s party would secure 24 out of 120 Knesset seats, followed by the Likud party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with 22 seats and the Democratic Party led by Yair Golan with 12 seats.

The ultra-Orthodox Shas party led by Aryeh Deri and Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, would each receive 10 seats, while Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid would get 9. United Torah Judaism, led by Yitzchak Goldknopf, and Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben Gvir, would gain 8 seats each.

Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party would receive 7 seats, while Hadash–Ta’al and the United Arab List would take 5 seats each.

Parties failing to pass the electoral threshold (3.25% of valid votes) included Religious Zionism led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (2.8%), and the Balad Party (1.2%).

In terms of political blocs, opposition parties excluding Arab factions would secure 62 seats, or 72 when including all opposition groups. The current governing coalition would drop to just 48 seats.

To form a government, a candidate for prime minister must secure the support of at least 61 Knesset members.

The same poll showed that 57% of respondents support early elections—including 88% of opposition voters—while 31% oppose the idea, including roughly 60% of coalition supporters.

Asked about ultra-Orthodox participation in future governments, 33% of respondents said they support including Haredi parties in the next coalition, 55% opposed their inclusion, and 12% were undecided.

Regarding election priorities, 43% of respondents cited the failure surrounding the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas as the top issue, followed by judicial reform (20%), the military draft law (17%) and Iran (9%), while 11% were unsure.

The current Israeli government, formed at the end of 2022, is legally mandated to remain in office until the end of 2026 unless early elections are called.

Asked who is best suited to serve as prime minister, 39% chose Netanyahu, 22% preferred opposition leader Yair Lapid and 32% said neither.

In a separate match-up, Bennett received 39% support compared to 34% for Netanyahu, with 20% saying neither is suitable. Benny Gantz received 23% in a similar comparison against 37% for Netanyahu.

Bennett, who launched a new political party in early April reportedly under the temporary name "Bennett 2026,” has emerged as a leading challenger amid growing political crises in the current Netanyahu-led government, which is facing pressure from religious coalition partners to dissolve the Knesset over the unresolved military draft exemption for Haredim, or ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Israel, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a genocidal offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million inhabitants.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.​​​​​​​

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.