Netanyahu clear front-runner in latest Israeli polls

Polls show Benjamin Netanyahu remains the top choice for Prime Minister of Israel.

While recent political coverage in Israel has been dominated by the Labor Party’s selection of a new leader, Avi Gabbay, polls suggest that Israelis prefer the sitting prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his party. Polls conducted by Channel 2 and Channel 10 showed Netanyahu and the Likud scoring a sizeable lead over Gabbay and Labor.

Of those polled by Channel 2, 34 percent preferred Netanyahu for prime minister, with 13 percent choosing Gabbay. Third and fourth place in the poll went to Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid, with a nod from 12 percent of respondents, and Jewish Home’s Naftali Bennet receiving 6 percent.

In addition to gauging support for individual candidates, the polls also demonstrated that Netanyahu’s Likud party would garner more seats in the Knesset than the Zionist Union, the coalition with which Gabbay’s Labor Party is aligned, if the elections were held today.

Indeed, both polls showed Likud taking at least five more seats in the Israeli parliament than the Zionist Union. Channel 10’s poll showed Likud claiming 29 seats to Zionist Union’s 24, while Channel 2 projected Likud with 25 seats and Zionist Union with 20.

The results were released as Gabbay begins marshaling support for a Labor comeback. With Gabbay’s selection, his party experienced a bounce, propelling it past Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party. The recent polls, however, indicate Gabbay may have a long road ahead if he hopes to catch up with Netanyahu.

In addition to the results related to Likud and Labor, the polls also indicated that Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home party would outperform the Arab Joint List party, Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party, Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu party, the United Torah Judaism party, and other parties from across the Israeli political spectrum.

By: World Israel News

Avi GabbayIsraeli electionsNetanyahu