A new Maariv poll showed Israel’s opposition bloc rising to 60 seats, tightening the political balance and intensifying competition ahead of the next election.
The survey pointed to a virtual dead heat in the race for prime minister between Benjamin Netanyahu and Naftali Bennett. Netanyahu received 41% support, while Bennett trailed narrowly at 40%.
At the same time, Gadi Eisenkot boasted a notable gain, rising three seats to 12. Bennett’s party dropped three seats to 21.
The poll was conducted by Lazar Research, headed by Dr. Menachem Lazar, in cooperation with Panel4All, following what it described as a turbulent week on the diplomatic and political front. Overall, the opposition bloc gained one seat, bringing its total to 60.
Most of this week’s movement occurred within the opposition itself. Alongside Eisenkot’s increase and Bennett’s corresponding decline, Yesh Atid rose by two seats, while the Democrats lost one.
Amid an ongoing wave of murders and violence in Arab society, Hadash-Ta’al dropped one seat to five, while Ra’am maintained its current strength.
Netanyahu coalition bloc remains at 50 seats ahead of elections
On the coalition side, the bloc remained steady at 50 seats, unchanged from the previous poll. Within the coalition, Likud lost one seat, while Otzma Yehudit gained one.
The breakdown showed the coalition bloc at 50 seats, the opposition–Bennett–Eisenkot bloc at 60 (up from 59), and Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am together at 10 (down from 11).
The survey also tested several head-to-head matchups for prime minister.
Bennett nearly matched Netanyahu, with 40% preferring him and 41% preferring Netanyahu.
Against Eisenkot, Netanyahu held a narrow advantage, with 42% choosing him versus 38% who prefer Eisenkot.
Netanyahu’s lead widened against Avigdor Liberman, where he led 46% to 30%, and against Yair Lapid, where he led 47% to 30%.
The poll also found that 47% of Israelis do not believe Netanyahu’s version of events regarding the chain of events that led to October 7. By contrast, 28% said they believe his account, while 25% said they do not know.
The survey was conducted on February 11–12 among 593 respondents, representing a sample of Israel’s adult population aged 18 and over, both Jewish and Arab. The maximum margin of error is 4%.