Issue Trends
In the suitability for prime minister polls, former prime minister Naftali Bennett continues to emerge as the principal challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a direct head-to-head matchup, Channel 12 places Bennett within one percentage point of Netanyahu. In the multi-candidate Channel 14 poll, Bennett ranks second, holding a 12-point lead over the next closest challenger.
The dominant topic this week was the fallout from revelations of betrayal within Netanyahu’s office, following reports that senior advisers received funds from Qatar. A Maariv poll shows that 60% of respondents with an opinion do not believe Netanyahu’s claim that he was unaware of the payments. A separate Zman Yisrael poll on the severity of the affair finds 52% describing the allegations as “very serious,” with an additional 20% viewing them as serious but not necessarily criminal.
Bloc Trends
The Bennett Bloc reaches 60 seats in both the Maariv and Israel Hayom polls. The Netanyahu Bloc posts its strongest showing at 66 seats in the Channel 14 and i24NEWS polls. Meanwhile, the Bennett Bloc records 58 seats in the Channel 12 and Zman Yisrael surveys.
Likud finishes on 25 seats in five of the seven polls. Bennett 2026 polls between 20 and 22 seats in six of the seven surveys. The Democrats’ 11-seat result in the Channel 12 (Midgam) poll is the only instance this week in which a party other than Likud or Bennett 2026 exceeds ten seats.
Eyes on the Threshold
Smotrich fails to cross the electoral threshold in two of the seven polls, while Hendel’s party clears the threshold in only two polls. As in recent weeks, Blue and White (Gantz) and Balad fail to cross the threshold in any survey. Lapid’s Yesh Atid also falls below the threshold in one poll this week.
What to Expect Next
This was an unusually dense polling week, with seven different polling firms releasing surveys. With less than ten months remaining until the scheduled election on 27 October 2026, attention is increasingly shifting to parliamentary developments. Ongoing Knesset deliberations over the state budget and the coalition draft bill remain potential triggers for an early election.
| Poll | Broadcaster / Publisher | Pollster | Fieldwork Dates | Sample Size | Margin of Error |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll 1 | Maariv | Lazar/Panels | Dec 24–25, 2025 | 500 | ±4.4% |
| Poll 2 | Israel Hayom | Kantar | Dec 24, 2025 | Not stated | Not stated |
| Poll 3 | Channel 12 | Midgam | Dec 25, 2025 | 500 | ±4.4% |
| Poll 4 | Zman Israel | Tatika | Dec 24–25, 2025 | 500 | ±4.4% |
| Poll 5 | Channel 13 | Maagar Mochot | Dec 23, 2025 | 563 | ±4.1% |
| Poll 6 | i24NEWS | Direct Polls | Dec 17, 2025 (Published Dec 20) | 544 | ±4.1% |
| Poll 7 | Channel 14 | Filber | Dec 25, 2025 | 657 | Not stated |
| Party / Bloc | Lazar/Panels | Kantar | Midgam | Tatika | Maagar Mochot | Direct Polls | Filber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Likud (Netanyahu) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 35 | 34 |
| Naftali Bennett 2026 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 12 |
| Democrats (Golan) | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Yesh Atid (Lapid) | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 2.7% | 5 |
| Yisrael Beiteinu (Lieberman) | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Shas (Deri) | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| United Torah Judaism | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| Otzma Yehudit (Ben Gvir) | 9 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Ra’am (Abbas) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Hadash–Ta’al | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Yashar (Eisenkot) | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| Religious Zionism (Smotrich) | 2.9% | 3% | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Blue & White (Gantz) | 2.2% | 2.9% | 1.9% | 0 | 2.2% | 1.8% | 1.1% |
| Miluimnikim (Hendel) | 2.4% | 4 | 1.7% | 4 | 1.4% | 3% | – |
| Balad | 1.8% | 2.1% | 1.3% | 0 | 2.1% | 2.6% | 2.3% |
| Bennett Bloc | 60 | 60 | 58 | 58 | 55 | 43 | 44 |
| Netanyahu Bloc | 50 | 50 | 52 | 52 | 55 | 66 | 66 |
| Arab Bloc | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
| Poll | Question | Results |
|---|---|---|
| Lazar/Panels – Maariv | Do you believe Prime Minister Netanyahu’s claim that he did not know his advisers received money from Qatar? | Believe: 33% (40% among opinion holders) • Do not believe: 50% (60%) • Don’t know: 17% |
| Midgam – Channel 12 | Suitability for Prime Minister – Netanyahu vs Bennett | Netanyahu: 38% • Bennett: 37% • Don’t know: 25% |
| Midgam – Channel 12 | Netanyahu vs Lapid | Netanyahu: 43% • Don’t know: 35% • Lapid: 22% |
| Midgam – Channel 12 | Netanyahu vs Eisenkot | Netanyahu: 40% • Don’t know: 32% • Eisenkot: 28% |
| Tatika – Zman Yisrael | Severity of Qatargate allegations | Very serious: 52% • Serious but not criminal: 20% • No problem: 14% • No opinion: 12% |
| Filber – Channel 14 | Suitability for Prime Minister (multi-candidate) | Netanyahu: 52% • Bennett: 25% • Eisenkot: 13% • Lapid: 5% • Lieberman: 4% • Gantz: 1% |
Jeremy's Knesset Insider 