Majority believe Israel should help Saudis against Houthis as Likud continues downward trend - poll

A recent poll conducted by Maariv revealed that 54% of Israelis believe Israel should aid Saudi Arabia in combating the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group supported by Iran. Thirty-eight percent of respondents suggested such assistance should be contingent upon a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, while 16% favored supporting the kingdom without any immediate diplomatic return. Ninety-four percent of those polled opposed Israeli involvement in the conflict, with 26% absolutely opposed and 20% unsure.

The poll also shed light on the upcoming Knesset elections scheduled for October 27. Results indicated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party would secure just 18 seats, a decline for the coalition. The coalition maintained stability at 50 seats, as Ofer Winter's People of Israel crossed the electoral threshold, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party, in alliance with Moshe Feiglin's Zehut, gained one seat, increasing their representation to six.

In the opposition bloc, The Reservists-Economic Party's joint list emerged as a significant change, clearing the electoral threshold with 4 seats. Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar lost two seats, while Naftali Bennett's B Yachad and Yair Golan's Democrats each dropped by one. The Zionist opposition, excluding Hendel and Zelekha's parties, stood at 54 seats. Arab parties retained their strength with 12 seats.

When asked about their vote, respondents indicated their support for Yashar with 23 seats, Likud with 18, B Yachad with 13, The Democrats with 9, Yisrael Beytenu with 9, Otzma Yehudit with 8, United Torah Judaism with 7, Shas with 7, Joint Arab List with 7, Religious Zionist Party-Zehut with 6, Ra'am with 5, People of Israel with 4, and The Reservists-Economic Party with 4 seats.