Netanyahu stronger than Sa'ar, still unable to form government

The poll also found that 41% of right wing voters believe Netanyahu won't be able to form a government after he was indicted, while 40% believe he can.

By IDAN ZONSHINE
Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar speaks at The Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference;Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, November 24, 2019 (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST/ SEBASTIAN SCHEINER/POOL VIA REUTERS)
Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar speaks at The Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference;Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, November 24, 2019
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST/ SEBASTIAN SCHEINER/POOL VIA REUTERS)
A new election poll published by Channel 12 news on Tuesday evening sees Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heavily favored by Likud voters compared to his rival, Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar.
The poll found that if Netanyahu were to run again now, not much would be different compared to the previous elections, bloc-wise. Despite the apparent rise in Likud mandates, the right wing bloc retains its size of 55 mandates, one fewer than the potential left wing bloc.
In case the Likud party were to run led by MK Gideon Sa'ar, there would be an overall drop in mandates for the Likud and a slight drop in size for the right wing bloc, with the New Right benefitting from Netanyahu's hypothetical absence.
Interestingly, in both scenarios, the New Right clear the electoral threshold easily, while their former partners Bayit Yehudi don't. This is a reversal of the results of the April election, in which the Bayit Yehudi party cleared the threshold while the New Right didn't.
When asked who is more fit to be prime minister, 39% of voters said Gantz, while 40% said Netanyahu is the man for the job. However, when asked the same question about Sa'ar, 40% of those asked said Gantz, while only 23% saud Sa'ar is fit for the role.
The poll also found that 41% of right wing voters believe Netanyahu won't be able to form a government if indicted, while 40% believe he can.
The poll results are as follows:
Likud with Netanyahu - 34
Blue and White - 33
Joint List - 13
Yisrael Beytenu - 9
Shas - 8
United Torah Judaism - 8
New Right - 6
Labor-Gesher - 5
Democratic Union - 4
Bayit Yehudi and Otzma Yehudit - Don't clear threshold
Blue and White - 35
Likud with Sa'ar - 26
Joint List - 13
Shas - 10
Yisrael Beytenu - 9
New Right - 9
United Torah Judaism - 8
Labor-Gesher - 6
Democratic Union - 4
Bayit Yehudi and Otzma Yehudit - Don't clear threshold
The poll was conducted by the Midgam Institute, asking a representative sample size of 510 Israelis above the age of 18, with a 4.4% margin of error.