Israeli Polls Indicate a Political Shift in the National Leadership Landscape

Jeremy’s Knesset Insider ^ | 12/28/2025

[CondoleezzaProtege]

In the suitability for prime minister polls, former prime minister Naftali Bennett continues to emerge as the principal challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a direct head-to-head matchup, Channel 12 places Bennett within one percentage point of Netanyahu. In the multi-candidate Channel 14 poll, Bennett ranks second, holding a 12-point lead over the next closest challenger.

The dominant topic this week was the fallout from revelations of betrayal within Netanyahu’s office, following reports that senior advisers received funds from Qatar.

A Maariv poll shows that 60% of respondents with an opinion do not believe Netanyahu’s claim that he was unaware of the payments. A separate Zman Yisrael poll on the severity of the affair finds 52% describing the allegations as “very serious,” with an additional 20% viewing them as serious but not necessarily criminal.

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TOPICS: Politics
KEYWORDS: benjaminnetanyahu; bennett; israel; knesset; lapid; likud; naftali; naftalibennett; netanyahu

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Bloc Trends

The Bennett Bloc reaches 60 seats in both the Maariv and Israel Hayom polls. The Netanyahu Bloc posts its strongest showing at 66 seats in the Channel 14 and i24NEWS polls. Meanwhile, the Bennett Bloc records 58 seats in the Channel 12 and Zman Yisrael surveys.

Likud finishes on 25 seats in five of the seven polls. Bennett 2026 polls between 20 and 22 seats in six of the seven surveys. The Democrats’ 11-seat result in the Channel 12 (Midgam) poll is the only instance this week in which a party other than Likud or Bennett 2026 exceeds ten seats.

Eyes on the Threshold

Smotrich fails to cross the electoral threshold in two of the seven polls, while Hendel’s party clears the threshold in only two polls. As in recent weeks, Blue and White (Gantz) and Balad fail to cross the threshold in any survey. Lapid’s Yesh Atid also falls below the threshold in one poll this week.

What to Expect Next

This was an unusually dense polling week, with seven different polling firms releasing surveys. With less than ten months remaining until the scheduled election on 27 October 2026, attention is increasingly shifting to parliamentary developments. Ongoing Knesset deliberations over the state budget and the coalition draft bill remain potential triggers for an early election.

[Nervous Tick]

Bennett is breathing down Bibi’s neck. And MAGA has turned on Trump.

Yeah, sure.

Israel and America each have their secular humanist leftist gaslighters, and their agenda driven fifth column media. And their social media sycophants too.

As President Trump rightly says, “we’re just going to have to wait and see what happens.”

[Sunsong]

This:

“A Maariv poll shows that 60% of respondents with an opinion do not believe Netanyahu’s claim that he was unaware of the payments.”

Bibi has a corruption problem, imo.

[packagingguy]

Qatar certainly uses its money to purchase influence (as also seen with Tucker Carlson).

[pissant]

You’re anti-Netanyahu obsession is very strange and exceedingly unhealthy. How many articles have you posted on the House of Saud, Joseph Aoun, King Abdullah, President el-Sisi, Lt. Gen al-Burhan, Ayatollah Khamenei, Zadari, Tokayev, Lukashenko, Aliyev, Xi Jinping, Jacob Zuma, etc etc and their respective countries? I thought so.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

For obvious reasons, Israel matters more than those other countries and I quite LIKE Naftali Bennett. And it’s not just me keeping track!

Trump allies closely track Israeli polls ahead of possible Netanyahu-Bennett showdown

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r1dltimzbg

[cowboyusa]

BOTH are right wing.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

BOTH are right wing.

Exactly! And if anything Bennett has been far more positive towards Trump from the get-go than Bibi. I hope he wins.

[Sunsong]

Yes. Qatar most likely knows who can be bought and for how much...

[SaveFerris]

(anti-Netanyahu obsession is very strange)

There’s a few. You can tell by what articles they select.

[Uncle Miltie]

Israel is a highly argumentative place. I trust the citizens will get what they want and deserve.

I’m constantly in favor of the most conservative candidate WHO CAN WIN.

[MinorityRepublican]

Israel is a highly argumentative place. I trust the citizens will get what they want and deserve.

USA is bipolar.

Israel? Not really.

They used to be more socialist though.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

I am anti-Netanyahu and pro-Naftali Bennett. Not hiding it.

If you think Bennett is some raging leftist, pro-Hamas loon then you are highly ignorant of Israeli politics.

[SaveFerris]

I consider you quite ignorant on several things but I generally don’t address you

But you do get a thing or two correct here and there

[SaveFerris]

[If you think Bennett is some raging leftist, pro-Hamas loon]

And WHERE EXACTLY did I mention a single thing about Bennett?

Nothing more stupid than mentioning something
that I DIDN’T say to pissant - Good gosh

[zeestephen]

Re: "A Maariv poll shows that 60% of respondents with an opinion do not believe Netanyahu's claim that he was unaware of the payments."

In the USA, if only 60% of a criminal jury does not believe Netanyahu, he still walks away, an innocent man, in the eyes of the law.

I will speculate that most of those respondents have never voted for Netanyahu in the past, and will never vote for him in the future

[Zionist Conspirator]

I wish you would understand that Netanyahu and the Likud are the Right in Israel. Why in the world "paleos" think he personally directs Jewish liberalism is beyond me.

The Israeli Left is not our friend. Yes, they aren't as nationalistic, but they're even more radical on social issues than Bibi is (and he's way too radical).

Radical American Jews hate Bibi. He's the Richard Nixon of Israel.