New polls released Thursday night, the first after the announcement of the alliance of Benny Gantz's Israel Resilience and Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid parties, showed a dramatic shift in how Israelis would vote, if elections were held today. The new party created by Gantz and Lapid - called Blue and White - is expected to win 36 mandates, according to polls by Channel 12 and 13 news. In Channel 12's poll, Netanyahu's Likud gained 30 mandates, while in Channel 13's poll, the Likud received only 26 mandates. Asked who is most suitable to be prime minister, Israelis still believed Netanyahu was the right candidate, yet he received only one percent more than the Gantz/Lapid duo, 37% against 36%. Additionally, Channel 12's poll said Labor would get 8 seats, UTJ 7, the New Right 6. Arab parties would get a combined 12 seats, Shas 5, Yisrael Beytenu 4, Otzma Yehudit 4, Kulanu 4 and Meretz 4, Orly Levy-Abecassis' Gesher party and Moshe Feiglin's Zehut wouldn't pass the election threshold.
