Electoral Deadlock Between Netanyahu and His Rivals

A new poll in Israel, published by the Israeli website Walla and conducted by the Lazarus Research Institute, reveals a highly complex electoral landscape as the 2026 elections approach. Gadi Eisenkot tops the race with 22 seats, ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, which secured 20 seats. Meanwhile, the bloc configuration remains without a clear majority, as neither camp can reach the 61 seats required to form a government.

In terms of bloc distribution, the governing coalition camp obtained 49 seats, compared to 54 seats for the opposition parties. The “Handel-Zleikha List,” which garnered four seats according to the poll, is not counted within either bloc, nor are the Arab parties, which collectively hold 13 seats.

With these figures, neither camp is close to the 61-seat threshold, meaning that any scenario for forming a government would require additional partnerships or a shift in the composition of alliances.