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%.

A Leader with Cross Bloc Credibility

Naftali Bennett performs competitively against Benjamin Netanyahu on most leadership metrics across the general sample in this special election poll for Channel 12, conducted by Midgam, which also takes a deep dive into Bennett voters.

Bennett is perceived as more trustworthy, more attentive to “people like me,” and better suited to addressing social divisions and the cost of living. Netanyahu maintains an advantage on national security and a narrow edge on the question of who would perform better as prime minister, but these gaps are smaller than those seen in previous election cycles.

This balance helps explain Bennett’s ability to draw support from voters who do not share a single ideological home. Among his voters, however, the picture is clearer: over 70% self-identify as right or center right, with the remainder clustering in the center. There is virtually no left-wing identification within his electorate. Bennett’s appeal, then, is not post-ideological. It is firmly right, but with softer edges than the traditional right-wing bloc.

Taken together, the data suggest that Bennett’s strength lies less in ideological alignment and more in personal positioning. He is seen as an empathetic competent, pragmatic, and comparatively unifying, natural leader that can pull votes from both blocs.

Bennett vs Netanyahu Deep Dive Polling Data

Pollster: Midgam for Channel 12
Fieldwork: December 16–17, 2025
Sample size: 505 respondents + boosted sample of 302 Bennett voters
Margin of error: ±4.4% (general), ±5.7% (Bennett voters)

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Question 1: Bennett’s Performance as Prime Minister

Rating	General Sample	Coalition Voters	Opposition Voters	Identify as Right	Identify as Center–Left	Intend to Vote Bennett
Very good	11%	4%	19%	9%	15%	33%
Fairly good	36%	18%	61%	28%	51%	61%
Total good	47%	22%	80%	37%	66%	94%
Fairly bad	20%	27%	13%	23%	12%	3%
Very bad	26%	47%	2%	34%	12%	2%
Total bad	46%	74%	15%	57%	24%	5%
Don’t know	7%	4%	5%	6%	10%	1%

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Question 2: Bennett vs. Netanyahu

Summary: Bennett vs. Netanyahu

Criterion	Naftali Bennett	Benjamin Netanyahu	Don’t know
More trustworthy	46%	37%	17%
Will better care for people like me	41%	28%	31%
Will better ensure national security	38%	40%	22%
Will better handle the economy and cost of living	45%	30%	25%
Will better address internal social divisions	47%	26%	27%
Would perform better as Prime Minister	40%	44%	16%

Who is more trustworthy?

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Naftali Bennett	46%	19%	79%	33%	72%	96%
Benjamin Netanyahu	37%	71%	5%	53%	9%	2%
Don’t know	17%	10%	16%	14%	19%	2%

Who will better care for people like me?

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Bennett	41%	17%	71%	31%	61%	93%
Netanyahu	28%	56%	5%	41%	8%	1%
Don’t know	31%	27%	24%	28%	31%	6%

Who will better ensure national security?

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Bennett	38%	13%	71%	26%	62%	82%
Netanyahu	40%	73%	10%	58%	12%	12%
Don’t know	22%	14%	19%	16%	26%	6%

Who will better handle the economy and cost of living?

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Bennett	45%	19%	77%	33%	69%	90%
Netanyahu	30%	59%	6%	43%	10%	5%
Don’t know	25%	22%	17%	24%	21%	5%

Who will better address internal social divisions?

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Bennett	47%	22%	76%	35%	71%	93%
Netanyahu	26%	50%	5%	37%	8%	1%
Don’t know	27%	28%	19%	28%	21%	6%

Who would perform better as Prime Minister?

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Bennett	40%	12%	74%	24%	70%	81%
Netanyahu	44%	81%	10%	63%	12%	11%
Don’t know	16%	7%	16%	13%	18%	8%

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Question 3: Political Scenarios and Bennett

Summary – General Sample: Political Scenarios and Bennett

Scenario	Total Strengthen	Total Weaken	No Change	Don’t Know
Running with Gadi Eisenkot and the “Yeshar” party	37%	21%	31%	11%
Running with Yoaz Hendel and the Reservists Party	33%	22%	33%	12%
Running with Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu)	33%	28%	30%	9%
Ruling out sitting in a government with Netanyahu	32%	30%	27%	11%
Running with Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid)	29%	32%	29%	10%
Agreeing to form a government with Netanyahu	23%	41%	25%	11%
Government with Ra’am support or abstention (Mansour Abbas)	20%	39%	28%	13%
Ayelet Shaked joins party leadership	19%	35%	34%	12%

Running with Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar)

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Very strengthen	18%	8%	33%	11%	30%	42%
Somewhat strengthen	19%	10%	31%	16%	27%	31%
Somewhat weaken	7%	7%	7%	7%	4%	9%
Very weaken	14%	24%	4%	18%	8%	2%
No change	31%	40%	19%	37%	21%	10%
Don’t know	11%	11%	6%	11%	10%	6%

Running together with Yair Lapid and Yesh Atid

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Very much strengthen	12%	6%	20%	7%	21%	22%
Somewhat strengthen	17%	5%	30%	10%	31%	26%
Somewhat weaken	7%	7%	10%	10%	3%	19%
Very much weaken	25%	41%	10%	34%	9%	16%
No change	29%	33%	25%	31%	28%	13%
Don’t know	10%	8%	5%	8%	8%	4%

Running together with Avigdor Lieberman and Yisrael Beiteinu

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Very much strengthen	15%	8%	26%	16%	15%	33%
Somewhat strengthen	18%	11%	25%	16%	18%	33%
Somewhat weaken	10%	10%	9%	8%	10%	12%
Very much weaken	18%	27%	9%	22%	18%	6%
No change	30%	36%	23%	30%	30%	13%
Don’t know	9%	8%	8%	8%	9%	3%

Ayelet Shaked joins the party leadership

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Very much strengthen	6%	8%	6%	7%	6%	12%
Somewhat strengthen	13%	14%	14%	15%	13%	26%
Somewhat weaken	14%	8%	21%	9%	14%	16%
Very much weaken	21%	20%	22%	21%	21%	15%
No change	34%	41%	29%	37%	34%	19%
Don’t know	12%	9%	8%	11%	12%	12%

Running together with Yoaz Hendel and the Reservists Party

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Very much strengthen	15%	11%	23%	13%	15%	33%
Somewhat strengthen	18%	11%	27%	14%	17%	37%
Somewhat weaken	7%	5%	11%	6%	7%	8%
Very much weaken	15%	18%	7%	16%	15%	2%
No change	33%	42%	23%	38%	33%	11%
Don’t know	12%	13%	9%	13%	13%	9%

Forming a government with support or abstention by Ra’am (Mansour Abbas)

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Very much strengthen	11%	7%	17%	8%	11%	10%
Somewhat strengthen	9%	4%	16%	5%	9%	16%
Somewhat weaken	9%	8%	12%	8%	9%	20%
Very much weaken	30%	40%	22%	39%	30%	29%
No change	28%	31%	23%	27%	28%	13%
Don’t know	13%	10%	10%	13%	13%	12%

Agreeing to form a government with Benjamin Netanyahu

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Very much strengthen	8%	15%	3%	11%	8%	6%
Somewhat strengthen	15%	23%	4%	20%	15%	10%
Somewhat weaken	9%	8%	13%	10%	9%	18%
Very much weaken	32%	9%	61%	18%	32%	45%
No change	25%	36%	12%	31%	25%	14%
Don’t know	11%	9%	7%	10%	11%	7%

Ruling out sitting in a government with Benjamin Netanyahu

Response	General	Coalition	Opposition	Right	Center–Left	Bennett Voters
Very much strengthen	18%	5%	32%	10%	18%	33%
Somewhat strengthen	14%	8%	23%	13%	14%	24%
Somewhat weaken	9%	10%	9%	9%	8%	16%
Very much weaken	21%	32%	11%	27%	21%	6%
No change	27%	36%	19%	31%	28%	14%
Don’t know	11%	9%	6%	10%	11%	7%

Question 4: Perceived ideology of Bennett

Ideological Position	General Sample	Coalition Voters	Opposition Voters	Identify as Right	Identify as Center–Left	Intend to Vote Bennett (incl. boost)
Far right	5%	6%	5%	5%	4%	3%
Right	31%	24%	42%	35%	26%	44%
Center-right	19%	17%	24%	22%	16%	40%
Total right-wing	55%	47%	71%	62%	46%	87%
Center	13%	10%	18%	9%	23%	11%
Center-left	12%	19%	6%	13%	11%	1%
Left	8%	9%	3%	7%	11%	1%
Far left	6%	10%	0%	7%	6%	0%
Total center–left	39%	48%	27%	36%	51%	13%
Don’t know	6%	5%	2%	2%	3%	0%

Question 5: Bennett Voters

Certainty of voting for Bennett

Response	Percent
Absolutely certain	31%
Fairly certain	57%
Still undecided	12%

Main reason for supporting Bennett

Reason	Percent
No better alternative	50%
Bennett is the right choice	33%
Only one who can defeat Netanyahu	16%
Don’t know	1%

Self-Identified Ideological Position (Bennett Voters)

Ideological Position	Percent
Far right	3%
Right	32%
Center-right	36%
Total right-wing	71%
Center	23%
Center-left	6%
Left	0%
Far left	0%
Total center–left	29%
Refused	0%

Vote in November 1, 2022 election

Party	Percent
National Unity (Gantz)	36%
Yesh Atid (Lapid)	26%
Likud (Netanyahu)	13%
Religious Zionism / Otzma Yehudit (Smotrich/Ben Gvir)	6%
Yisrael Beiteinu (Lieberman)	6%
Jewish Home (Ayelet Shaked)	5%
Labor	1%
UTJ	1%
Meretz	1%
Other	1%
Did not vote (no right)	2%
Did not vote (had right)	2%