Maariv: Netanyahu’s popularity witnessing a sharp decline with possibility of Likud collapse
The popularity of the Israeli Likud Party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declined by 3 seats in the latest opinion poll published by Israeli Maariv newspaper.
According to the poll, the ruling Likud party fell by three seats to 21, while the Yesh Atid party led by Yair Lapid lost two seats to 11.
In contrast, the National Camp led by Benny Gantz saw a two-seat increase to 19, while the Israel Beiteinu party led by Avigdor Lieberman rose to 17 seats, its highest number since the formation of the current government.
Overall, Netanyahu’s coalition lost 3 seats, falling to 50 seats, compared to 60 seats for the opposition (excluding Arab parties), reflecting a decline in the Israeli prime minister’s support base.
The biggest beneficiary of this decline is Avigdor Lieberman, whose party rose from 15 to 17 seats, while former prime minister Naftali Bennett is expected to make a strong comeback if he decides to run again.
According to the polls, Bennett’s Jewish Home party could win 28 seats, up four seats from last week.
If Bennett enters the race, Likud’s seats will drop to 20, while the opposition under his leadership will rise to 66 seats, compared to just 44 seats for Netanyahu’s coalition, which could represent a dramatic shift in the Israeli political landscape.
Regarding Netanyahu’s priorities, 51% of Israelis believe that the most important thing for him is to maintain his government coalition, while 39% believe that the priority should be to return all prisoners, while 10% said they weren’t sure.
It’s noteworthy that 75% of coalition voters believe that returning the prisoners is more important to Netanyahu, while 80% of opposition voters believe that his main priority is to remain in power.
