Neither Netanyahu nor Gantz can form new government, says poll

As with the last two elections, it’s unlikely that either Gantz or Netanyahu will manage to form a government without Liberman’s Israel Beiteinu party.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel has been mired in political deadlock since two inconclusive elections in 2019. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief rival, Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz, had both failed to cobble together a coalition government.

A new poll published by Channel 12 news on Thursday shows that Israel’s third election will do very little to change the country’s political landscape.

According to the poll, if elections were held today, Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party would win one more Knesset seats (34) than it did the last election (33), and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party would win the same number (32). A coalition of 61 seats is the minimum requirement to form a government.

As for the smaller parties, the poll predicts that Israel Beiteinu would win the same eight seats it won in the last election, the Sephardic Ultra-Orthodox Shas party would drop from nine to eight seats, United Torah Judaism would match its current seven seats, and the newly formed Yamina party would win 10 seats. The Otzma Yehudit party would fail to cross the 3.25% electoral threshold, the poll indicates.

The left-wing parties of Labor-Gesher-Meretz would win 8 seats collectively, and the Arab Joint List, which so far refuses to join any coalition, would win the same 13 it received in the last election.

As with the last two elections, it’s unlikely that either Gantz or Netanyahu will be able to form a ruling government without Liberman’s Israel Beiteinu party.