Yair Lapid, Yesh Atid soar as gap to Netanyahu's Likud narrows in latest poll

The prime minister's bloc is in a precarious position, however, with Ra'am, Labor and Meretz all barely crossing the electoral threshold with four seats each.

 Prime Minister and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid speaks to party members during a Yesh Atid party conference in Tel Aviv, August 3, 2022.  (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)
Prime Minister and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid speaks to party members during a Yesh Atid party conference in Tel Aviv, August 3, 2022.
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)

Prime Minister Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid faction received a polling high of 27 seats in an election poll published by Channel 13 on Tuesday evening, narrowing the gap to only four mandates compared to opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud, which got 31.

Neither side will win the 61 seat-majority necessary to form a government, according to Channel 13's latest poll. Netanyahu's bloc remains stuck at 60 mandates, with the Religious Zionist Party continuing to gain voters at the expense of Likud with 14 predicted seats.

Yair Lapid's bloc in trouble

The prime minister's bloc is in a precarious position, with Ra'am, Labor and Meretz all barely crossing the electoral threshold with four seats each. Arab faction Hadash-Ta'al is also teetering above the threshold with four seats. 

Elsewhere within the bloc opposing Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz's National Unity party took 11 seats in the latest poll, while Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu Party held steady with six predicted seats, bringing the bloc to a total of 56 seats.

In Netanyahu's camp, no significant changes were recorded to Shas's and United Torah Judaism's polling, with the two haredi (ultra-Orthodox) factions gaining eight and seven seats, respectively.

 INTERIOR MINISTER Ayelet Shaked arrives for a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. Statements such as that made by Shaked do not impress the EU, says the writer. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
INTERIOR MINISTER Ayelet Shaked arrives for a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. Statements such as that made by Shaked do not impress the EU, says the writer. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

Ayelet Shaked quitting won't affect results, poll finds

Below the threshold, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked's Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home) once again failed to pass with 2.2% support, amid calls from the Right for her to quit the race.

If Shaked and her party were to pull out of the race, however, it would not have any effect on the current standings, the poll found.