The final result of pre-election polls in Israel last week showed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not achieve a clear victory in the October 27 elections. Polls also suggested that his main rival, former Israeli chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, will also fail to secure a clear victory and would likely need to rely on support from Israel’s Arab parties to unseat Netanyahu. The Channel 13 News poll found that Netanyahu’s bloc would fall from its current 64 seats to a much smaller 50 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc needs to secure at least 61 seats for an outright victory. Meanwhile, Eisenkot’s bloc, consisting of right-wing, center-wing and left-wing parties, would win 54 seats, overtaking Netanyahu although still not achieving a clear victory. The survey found that the two Arab parties could win a total of 16 seats. Channel 12’s latest pre-election poll found Netanyahu’s bloc receiving the same 50 seats, while Eisenkot’s bloc has a total of 56 seats. Arab parties in this survey are projected to have 14 seats. The Kan 11 News poll also gave Netanyahu’s bloc 50 seats, but Eisenkot’s bloc had 52 seats, a narrow lead that still leaves both men far from an outright victory. In this poll, Arab parties were predicted to have 14 seats, while a small party focused on Israeli military reservists and the economy won four seats. This small party, known as the Reservists, has not committed to supporting either bloc. These three main polls found that Netanyahu’s Likud would have between 19 and 21 seats, while Eisenkot’s Yashar would get between 22 and 23 seats. In the final round of polls, right-wing Channel 14 showed Netanyahu with an outright victory, predicting he would secure 62 seats with his coalition, leaving Eisenkot with just 44 seats. Channel 14, widely considered a mouthpiece for Netanyahu, has repeatedly published polls showing Netanyahu would secure a clear victory in the election. These results have been an outlier in virtually every other major poll in the country, which has shown Netanyahu’s coalition falling below the total required for victory.
