News Recap
- The political crisis continues, with Shas and UTJ still outside the government.
- Sep 2: A brief third special session plenum was held as Knesset silence ended.
- Sep 3: Most committees resumed work, including a hearing on the Haredi Draft Bill in the Defense & Foreign Affairs Committee.
- Sep 4: Eisenkot called on Gantz to drop out if he remains below the electoral threshold in the polls.
How It Played Out in the Polls
- Bennett remains the leading contender against Netanyahu in both Knesset seats and Prime Minister suitability.
- When running separately, Eisenkot, Cohen, and the Reservists generally act as spoilers, usually remaining in the single digits.
- Benny Gantz’s Blue & White party is at an all-time low for the 25th Knesset, reaching a maximum of four seats and failing to pass the electoral threshold in five of the 12 polls this week.
- Smotrich fails to pass the threshold in three polls, negatively affecting the Netanyahu bloc’s numbers.
- This week, both Lapid and Eisenkot fail to pass the threshold in one poll each.
What to Expect Next
- A fourth special session plenum is expected this week.
- Discussion on consolidation within the Bennett bloc may occur to avoid parties falling below the threshold.
- Increased scrutiny is expected on figures such as Cohen and Hendel (Reservists) regarding their positions on joining a potential Netanyahu government.
Polling Data
| Polls | Pollster / Commissioning Body | Broadcast / Publication | Sample Size | Margin of Error | Dates Conducted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polls 1–4 | Prof. Yitzhak Katz, Maagar Mochot | Channel 13 News | 558 | ±4.1% | September 2, 2025 |
| Polls 5A–5B | Direct Polls, Zuriel Sharon | i24NEWS | 513 | ±4.4% | September 3, 2025 |
| Poll 6 | Tatika | Zman Israel | 404 | ±4.8% | September 3, 2025 |
| Polls 7A–7B | Midgam | Channel 12 News | 500 | ±4.4% | September 4, 2025 |
| Poll 8 | Shlomo Filber | Channel 14 | 497 | N/A | September 4, 2025 |
| Polls 9A–9B | Lazar / Panels | Maariv | 500 | ±4.4% | September 4, 2025 |
Maagar Mochot polls from earlier in the week are also in the previous post – https://knessetjeremy.com/2025/09/03/yossi-cohen-party-threatens-gantz-and-eisenkot-reshapes-coalition-math/)
Polls without Cohen/Reservists
| Party/Alliance | Maagar Mochot | Maagar Mochot (Bennett-Eisenkot) | Maagar Mochot (Lapid-Eisenkot) | Midgam | Filber (No Eisenkot) | Lazar/Panels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Likud – Benjamin Netanyahu | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 34 | 25 |
| “Bennett 2026” – Naftali Bennett | 23 | – | 23 | 19 | 15 | 24 |
| “Bennett 2026” + Gadi Eisenkot | – | 30 | – | – | – | – |
| Yisrael Beiteinu – Avigdor Lieberman | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 |
| Shas – Aryeh Deri | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 9 |
| The Democrats – Yair Golan | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 |
| Yesh Atid – Yair Lapid | 8 | 6 | – | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Yesh Atid + Gadi Eisenkot | – | – | 11 | – | – | – |
| New Party – Gadi Eisenkot | 4 | – | – | 12 | – | 6 |
| Otzma Yehudit – Itamar Ben Gvir | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| United Torah Judaism – Yitzhak Goldknopf | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| Ra’am – Mansour Abbas | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Hadash-Ta’al – Ayman Odeh | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Blue & White – Benny Gantz | 4 | 4 | 4 | (2.1%) | 4 | 4 |
| Religious Zionism – Bezalel Smotrich | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | (1.9%) |
| Balad – Sami Abu Shehadeh | (3%) | (3%) | (3%) | (2.3%) | (2.3%) | (1.9%) |
| Bennett Bloc | 58 | 58 | 57 | 60 | 47 | 62 |
| Netanyahu Bloc | 52 | 52 | 53 | 50 | 63 | 48 |
| Arab Bloc | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Polls with Cohen/Reservists & Bennett-Lieberman-Eisenkot Scenario
| Party/Alliance | Maagar Mochot (Yossi Cohen) | Direct Polls (Reservists) | Direct Polls (Reservists & Yossi Cohen) | Takiata (Reservists) | Midgam (Bennett-Liebeman-Eisenkot Party) | Lazar/Panels (Yossi Cohen) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Likud – Benjamin Netanyahu | 21 | 30 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 |
| “Bennett 2026” – Naftali Bennett | 22 | 20 | – | 23 | – | 23 |
| Bennett-Lieberman-Eisenkot | – | – | 33 | – | – | – |
| Bennett-Lieberman | – | – | – | – | 30 | – |
| Yisrael Beiteinu – Avigdor Lieberman | 10 | 11 | – | 10 | – | 9 |
| The Democrats – Yair Golan | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| Shas – Aryeh Deri | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| United Torah Judaism – Yitzhak Goldknopf | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Otzma Yehudit – Itamar Ben Gvir | 11 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| New Party – Gadi Eisenkot | (3%) | – | – | – | 10 | 5 |
| Reservists | – | 6 | 5 | 6 | – | – |
| New Party – Yossi Cohen | 8 | – | 4 | – | – | 4 |
| Ra’am – Mansour Abbas | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Hadash-Ta’al – Ayman Odeh | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Yesh Atid – Yair Lapid | 7 | 4 | (3%) | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Religious Zionism – Bezalel Smotrich | 4 | 5 | 5 | (N/A) | 4 | (1.9%) |
| Blue & White – Benny Gantz | (3%) | (2.4%) | (1.9%) | 4 | (2.3%) | 4 |
| Balad – Sami Abu Shehadeh | (3%) | (2.8%) | (2.8%) | (N/A) | (2.3%) | (1.8%) |
| Bennett Bloc | 56 | 51 | 51 | 61 | 59 | 63 |
| Netanyahu Bloc | 54 | 59 | 58 | 49 | 51 | 47 |
| Arab Bloc | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Additional Questions (Additional Questions from earlier in the week are in the previous post – https://knessetjeremy.com/2025/09/03/yossi-cohen-party-threatens-gantz-and-eisenkot-reshapes-coalition-math/)
| Poll / Source | Question | Response | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Polls | Who do you think is most suitable to be Prime Minister? | Benjamin Netanyahu | 48% |
| Naftali Bennett | 39% | ||
| Don’t know | 13% | ||
| Direct Polls | Who do you think is most suitable to be Prime Minister? | Benjamin Netanyahu | 48% |
| Gadi Eizenkot | 36% | ||
| Don’t know | 16% | ||
| Midgam | What should Israel do now in the Gaza conflict? | Approve partial hostage deal, stop military operation | 47% |
| Continue military operation, no deal | 39% | ||
| Don’t know | 14% | ||
| Midgam | Should there be a State Committee to investigate October 7 failures? | State Committee led by Supreme Court President | 61% |
| Government committee appointed by Netanyahu | 25% | ||
| Don’t know | 14% | ||
| Filber | Who among six individuals is most suitable to be Prime Minister? | Benjamin Netanyahu | 48% |
| Naftali Bennett | 21% | ||
| Gadi Eizenkot | 18% | ||
| Avigdor Lieberman | 6% | ||
| Yair Lapid | 5% | ||
| Benny Gantz | 2% | ||
| Lazar/Panels | Do you support holding elections on two separate ballots: one for Prime Minister, one for Knesset? | Support | 39% |
| Oppose | 27% | ||
| Don’t know | 34% |
Jeremy's Knesset Insider 