Three weeks ago, National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz unequivocally beat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in polls. 32 mandates compared to 25 were a clear picture of the public's preference: they were in favor of dialogue, against perceived extremism. Now, 21 days later - the picture is entirely different.
The upwards trend currently being enjoyed by Likud and the downward trend of the National Unity Party has reached its peak in the newest poll conducted by Maariv and the Lazar Research Institute. The poll, published Friday morning, sees Netanyahu overtake Gantz for the first time in three and a half months, pulling ahead by three mandates.
The last poll in which Netanyahu pulled ahead of Gantz was published on March 23, and it would appear that the continued judicial reform legislation against the backdrop of the intense protests, has led to the weakening of the National Unity Party, the most vocal proponent of the judicial reform negotiations.
Both blocs left without majority
As a result of Likud's gains at the National Unity Party's expense, the layout of the blocs, should elections be held today, has also shifted.
While three weeks ago, the opposition parties were earning 69 seats (58 if Hadash-Ta'al and Ra'am are excluded), four of those seats have switched to the coalition parties which earned 55 seats in the latest poll, meaning neither side has a clear majority.
Total poll results:Likud: 29National Unity Party: 26Yesh Atid: 20Shas: 9United Torah Judaism: 7Hadash-Ta'al: 5Yisrael Beytenu: 5Religious Zionist: 5Ra'am: 5Otzma Yehudit: 5Meretz: 4
Labor and Balad failed to cross the electoral threshold, with Labor earning just 1.4% and Balad earning 2.1%.