Eisenkot edges Netanyahu for PM suitability, Yashar bigger than Likud - poll

Channel 12's latest mandate poll, released Monday evening, indicates that Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot is perceived as a more suitable prime minister candidate than incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu, despite Netanyahu's Likud party trailing Eisenkot's Yashar in seat counts. The poll projects Yashar securing 24 seats in the Knesset, while Likud would receive 22 seats under today's election scenario.

In addition to Netanyahu, other parties would fare as follows: Naftali Bennett's B Yachad party, 15 seats; Yair Golan's Democrats, 11 seats; Yisrael Beytenu and Otzma Yehudit, each 9 seats; United Torah Judaism, 8 seats; the Joint List, 7 seats; Shas, 7 seats; Religious Zionist Party, 4 seats; and Ra'am, 4 seats. However, three parties would fall below Israel's electoral threshold: Blue and White, Unity party, and the party led by Chili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel.

The poll also gauged which candidate is better suited to serve as prime minister. Eisenkot garnered 44% support in this direct comparison, outpacing Netanyahu's 34% approval. When asked to gauge suitability against Naftali Bennett, Netanyahu received 37% approval, while Bennett himself received 39%. In the matchup with Avigdor Liberman, Netanyahu trailed with 35% support, compared to Liberman's 28%.

The coalition bloc would consist of 50 seats, the opposition would hold 59 seats, and Arab parties would secure 11 seats based on the current projections. A hypothetical scenario featuring the formation of a new party by Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter shows Likud losing one seat to B Yachad, while Smotrich's party would fall below the electoral threshold, maintaining the same seat allocation as the previous mandate poll.