New polls show Gantz still ahead of Netanyahu and Lapid

Both polls found that the former coalition would earn 63 seats, while the current coalition would earn 52 seats.

 MK BENNY GANTZ is surrounded by a heavy security presence at a protest last month outside the Knesset against the government’s planned judicial overhaul.  (photo credit: ERIK MARMOR/FLASH90)
MK BENNY GANTZ is surrounded by a heavy security presence at a protest last month outside the Knesset against the government’s planned judicial overhaul.
(photo credit: ERIK MARMOR/FLASH90)

Benny Gantz's National Unity party would earn 29 seats if elections were held today, while the Likud Party would earn just 24 seats, according to new polls published by N12 and Channel 13 on Sunday evening.

According to the poll published by N12, Yesh Atid would earn 18 seats, the Religious Zionist party (if it runs with Otzma Yehudit) would earn 11 seats, Shas would earn 10 seats, United Torah Judaism would earn seven seats, Yisrael Beytenu would earn six seats and Hadash-Ta'al, Meretz and Ra'am would earn five seats each.

The poll also checked what would happen if Otzma Yehudit and the Religious Zionist party run separately, with Otzma Yehudit projected to earn seven seats and the Religious Zionist party projected to earn five seats.

According to the poll, the former coalition would earn 63 seats, while the current coalition would earn 52 seats. Hadash-Ta'al is considered part of neither bloc.

When asked who they believe is a better fit for the role of prime minister, 41% of respondents to the N12 poll stated that Gantz is better, while 31% preferred Netanyahu. Meanwhile, between Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid and Netanyahu, 36% preferred Netanyahu, while 26% preferred Lapid.

 MKS YAIR Lapid and Benny Gantz stand next to each other during a debate in the Knesset plenum last week.  (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
MKS YAIR Lapid and Benny Gantz stand next to each other during a debate in the Knesset plenum last week. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

In terms of the judicial reform, 26% of respondents told N12 that the reform should be thrown out, 10% said it should be frozen, 34% said that the reform should be advanced but only through consensus and 21% said that the reform should be advanced as it was being advanced earlier this year.

The respondents were also asked about the government's performance in terms of the economy, with 62% saying the government's performance is bad, while 32% said the government is performing well.

Additionally, 61% of the respondents rated Netanyahu's performance as "terrible" and 33% rated him as doing well. Meanwhile, 69% of respondents said that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is performing "terribly," with just 25% rating him positively.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant received mixed ratings, with 44% rating him positively and 43% rating him negatively. 66% of respondents rated Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich negatively, while 24% rated him positively.

Channel 13 poll

Channel 13's poll found that Yesh Atid would earn 19 seats, Shas would earn 10 seats, the Religious Zionist party and United Torah Judaism would earn seven seats each, Yisrael Beytenu would earn six seats, Hadash-Ta'al and Ra'am would earn five seats each and Otzma Yehudit and Meretz would earn four seats each.

According to the poll, the former coalition would earn 63 seats, while the current coalition would earn 52 seats. Hadash-Ta'al is considered part of neither bloc.

The Channel 13 poll additionally asked respondents how they would vote if a new party was formed by the leaders of the anti-reform protests, with such a party projected to earn five seats, taking four seats from Meretz and one seat from Yesh Atid.

When asked who they believe is a better fit for the role of prime minister, 45% of respondents to the Channel 13 poll stated that Gantz is better, while 37% preferred Netanyahu. Meanwhile, between Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid and Netanyahu, 44% preferred Netanyahu, while 38% preferred Lapid.

The poll additionally asked which government handled terrorism from the Gaza Strip better, with 46% saying that the Lapid-Bennett handled the situation better, while 25% said the current government is handling it better. 29% said they did not know.

In terms of Ben-Gvir, 56% of the respondents stated that Netanyahu should fire the national security minister, while 26% said that they wouldn't want him to. Among Likud voters, 26% want Ben-Gvir fired, while 53% want him to stay.