Israel’s right-wing bloc could succeed in garnering 61 seats, a poll by 103FM showed for the first time since elections were called. However, that is only if Naftali Bennett’s Yamina Party agrees to sit with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Although New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar has stated that he will not sit with Netanyahu, Bennett has not made such a statement. However, Bennett did sit in the opposition against Netanyahu in the current government and has often criticized the prime minister.
With Bennett and Netanyahu, and without Sa’ar, the bloc would have 61 seats. If Sa’ar decides to join as well, the bloc would reach 75 seats.
Both Bennett and Sa’ar have said they are running with the aim of achieving prime minister.
In the left-center bloc, Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid would get 19 seats, the Joint List would get 10 seats, Labor would get five seats and Meretz would get four seats.
In total, the bloc would earn just 38 seats.
If Sa’ar and Bennett would sit under Lapid, the bloc could reach as many as 65 seats, although the Joint List traditionally does not join the government.
Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party, MK Betzalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party (formerly the National Union), the Otzma Yehudit party, Ron Huldai’s Israelis Party and Yaron Zelekha’s Economy Party would not succeed in crossing the electoral threshold.
If, however, the Religious Zionist Party were to join with Otzma Yehudit and the Noam Party, the list would earn five seats and the Likud, Yesh Atid, Yamina and New Hope would each lose a seat, according to the poll.
Additionally, if Labor and the Israelis Party were to join together, the two would earn a total of seven seats and Lapid and Sa’ar would each lose a seat.
The poll also asked respondents if they wanted to see haredi MKs in the next coalition, to which 52% responded that they preferred a coalition without haredim and 30% responded that they were interested in a coalition with haredim.
