{
  "id": 424599,
  "title": "Netanyahu strengthens bid for prime minister, Likud overtakes Yashar! ahead of election - poll",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/netanyahu-strengthens-bid-for-prime-minister-likud-overtakes-yashar",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-10T01:24:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-905027"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party has surged ahead of Israeli Alternative (Yashar!) led by Gadi Eisenkot in recent polls, according to a report from KAN News. The poll indicates that Likud now has 24 seats, one more than their tied position last week, while Yashar! holds 23 seats. Other parties included in the poll are Yair Golan's Democrats with 10 seats, Yisrael Beyteinu led by Avigdor Liberman with 10 seats, and Naftali Bennett's joint list B Yachad with 13 seats. In the event of an election, the Arab parties - Hadash, Ta al, and Balad - could collectively secure 8 seats, though Hadash's spokesperson noted a breakdown in talks. Should Yoav Segalovitz join Ra'am, the Arab parties would attain 13 seats, potentially weakening Netanyahu's coalition to 52 seats. The Zionist opposition bloc polled at 55 seats, three more than the current coalition. The KAN poll also reveals that Netanyahu enjoys a 7-point lead in terms of who would make a better prime minister, with 41% of respondents favoring him over Eisenkot, compared to 34% supporting Eisenkot. Notably, Bennett has narrowed the gap with Eisenkot, with 31% of voters preferring him over 20% opting for the Yashar! leader. Approximately 20% of Israelis have contemplated leaving the country, though this figure rises to 23% among opposition voters, while only 6% of current coalition supporters share this sentiment. Despite this, almost 70% of Israelis aren't concerned about the nation's population dwindling. The poll surveyed 551 individuals aged 18 and older, representing diverse sectors of Israeli society.",
  "summary": "The latest poll showed that 41% of people think Netanyahu would make a better leader than Eisenkot, compared to 34% who think Eisenkot would be better.",
  "key_points": [
    "Likud party overtakes Yashar! in recent polls",
    "Netanyahu leads in preference for prime minister",
    "Arab parties could secure 8-13 seats in an election"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}