Two new Israeli election polls released Wednesday evening paint sharply different pictures of the race, but both show Prime Minister Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc in a stronger position. A Channel 13 poll gives Netanyahu’s bloc 55 seats, its highest showing in the network’s polling during the current election campaign, while a simultaneous Channel 14 poll gives the right-wing bloc 63 seats, enough to form a government.

In the Channel 13 poll, Likud and Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar are tied for first place with 20 seats each. Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad follows with 12 seats, while the Democrats receive 10. The Joint List receives 9 seats, Yisrael Beiteinu, Otzma Yehudit and United Torah Judaism each receive 8, Religious Zionism-Zehut and Shas each receive 7, Ra’am receives 6, and Amcha Yisrael receives 5.

The Channel 13 bloc breakdown puts Netanyahu’s bloc at 55 seats, the opposition bloc at 50, and the Arab parties at 15. While the result marks a new high for Netanyahu’s bloc in Channel 13’s polling during the current campaign, it would still leave the bloc six seats short of the 61-seat majority required to control the 120-seat Knesset and form a government.

Channel 14’s poll shows a dramatically different electoral map. Likud leads with 31 seats, followed by Yashar with 23. Shas receives 10, the Democrats 9, Otzma Yehudit and United Torah Judaism 8 each, the Joint List 7, Religious Zionism-Zehut 6, Yisrael Beiteinu 5, and Ra’am 5.

Under Channel 14’s bloc breakdown, the right-wing bloc receives 63 seats, giving it a two-seat majority above the 61-seat threshold. The left-wing bloc receives 45 seats, while the Arab parties receive a combined 12 seats.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)