Israel's Blue and White coalition leads ahead of polls

JERUSALEM

Israel's Blue and White coalition -- the main rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-led Likud party -- is leading ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections slated for Sept. 17, a new opinion poll showed on Tuesday.

The survey conducted by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority showed that the Blue and White coalition would win 32 seats in Knesset (Israel's parliament), while right-wing Likud party would secure 31 seats.

The Joint List, a political alliance of main Arab-dominated political parties, came in the third place with ten seats.

The poll predicted that both right-wing Yamina and Beiteinu Yisrael parties would win nine seats each, while the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party and the right-wing United Torah Judaism party would get seven seats each.

The poll showed that the right-wing parties could grab 58 seats without the support of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, led by former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

A total of at least 61 Knesset members out of total 120 are required to form the government.