Jeremy's Knesset Insider

Issue Trends

Bennett continues to emerge as the principal alternative to Netanyahu in both head-to-head and multi-candidate polling. In the Channel 12 survey, both Lapid and Eizenkot record matchups in which the combined share of respondents selecting “neither candidate” or “don’t know” exceeds their individual support against Netanyahu, underscoring their continued difficulty in consolidating opposition voters.

The fallout from revelations of alleged betrayal within Netanyahu’s office, following reports that senior advisers received funds from Qatar, has remained a dominant media issue. The Walla poll finds that 50% of Israelis agree that advisers promoting Qatari interests during wartime constitutes an act of betrayal. Agreement rises to over 70% among opposition voters, while standing at around 30% among coalition voters.

Bloc Trends

The Netanyahu Bloc posts a particularly strong showing in the Channel 14 poll, reaching 66 seats, compared with 49–52 seats in the other five polls published or broadcast this week. The Bennett Bloc peaks at 61 seats in the Walla poll in contrast to 44 seats in the Channel 14 survey. The remaining four polls cluster closer to the Walla result, placing the Bennett Bloc in the 57–59 seat range.

Shas’s 11-seat result in the Channel 14 poll and the Democrats’ 11 seats in the Channel 12 poll are the only instances this week in which a party other than Likud or Bennett exceeds ten seats.

Eyes on the Threshold

Hendel clears the electoral threshold in two polls, while Smotrich does so in only one survey (Channel 14). As in recent weeks, Balad and Blue and White (Gantz) fail to cross the threshold in any poll.

What to Expect Next

With the calendar turning, Israel has now entered 2026, an election year. Fewer than 300 days remain until the scheduled election on 27 October 2026. Ongoing Knesset deliberations over the state budget in the Appropriations Committee and the coalition’s draft legislation on military service in the Defense & Foreign Affairs Committee remain potential flashpoints that could precipitate an early election.

Poll	Broadcaster / Publisher	Pollster	Fieldwork Date	Sample Size	Margin of Error
Poll 1	Walla	Lazar / Panels	28 Dec 2025	500	±4.3%
Poll 2	Channel 12	Midgam	1 Jan 2026	507	±4.4%
Poll 3	Channel 11	Kantar	28 Dec 2025	N/A	N/A
Poll 4	Maariv	Lazar / Panels	1 Jan 2026	500	±4.4%
Poll 5	Zman Yisrael	Tatika	31 Dec 2025 – 1 Jan 2026	500	±4.4%
Poll 6	Channel 14	Filber	1 Jan 2026	736	N/A

Party / Bloc	Walla	Channel 12	Channel 11	Maariv	Zman Yisrael	Channel 14
Likud (Netanyahu)	25	26	25	27	28	35
Bennett 2026	20	21	20	19	22	11
Yisrael Beiteinu (Lieberman)	9	9	9	10	10	9
Shas (Deri)	9	9	10	8	10	11
Democrats (Golan)	9	11	9	10	8	10
Yashar (Eizenkot)	10	8	9	10	7	8
Yesh Atid (Lapid)	9	10	8	9	10	6
Otzma Yehudit (Ben Gvir)	8	9	9	10	6	7
United Torah Judaism	7	7	7	7	8	8
Ra’am (Abbas)	6	5	5	5	6	5
Hadash–Ta’al	4	5	5	5	5	5
Religious Zionism (Smotrich)	2.2%	2.9%	2.1%	2.8%	0	5
Miluimnikim (Hendel)	4	2.7%	4	3%	0	—
Balad	1.8%	1.8%	2.2%	2%	0	2.1%
Blue & White (Gantz)	2%	2%	2.8%	2%	0	0.9%
Bennett Bloc	61	59	59	58	57	44
Netanyahu Bloc	49	51	51	52	52	66
Arab Bloc	10	10	10	10	11	10

Poll	Question	Findings
Lazar/Panels	Do you agree that Netanyahu advisers promoting Qatari interests during the war constitutes an act of betrayal?	50% of Israelis agree. Among opposition voters, agreement exceeds 70%; among coalition voters it is around 30%.
Midgam	Suitability for Prime Minister: Netanyahu vs. Bennett	Netanyahu 42%, Bennett 34%, Neither 19%, Don’t know 5%.
Midgam	Suitability for Prime Minister: Netanyahu vs. Lapid	Netanyahu 45%, Neither/Don’t know 33%, Lapid 22%.
Midgam	Suitability for Prime Minister: Netanyahu vs. Eizenkot	Netanyahu 41%, Neither/Don’t know 31%, Eizenkot 28%.
Filber	Suitability for Prime Minister (multi-candidate question)	Netanyahu 54%, Bennett 23%, Eizenkot 12%, Lapid 5%, Lieberman 5%, Gantz 1%.