A new public opinion survey published in Israel shows that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public standing has suffered a serious blow. The poll, broadcast on Channel 13 and conducted by Mano Geva and Midgam, found that 60 percent of respondents rated Netanyahu's credibility as 'weak,' while only 38 percent gave the prime minister a 'good' rating.
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the opposition Yair Party, topped the credibility rankings with a 54 percent positive rating. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett followed with 41 percent.
Netanyahu's loss of trust comes amid his ongoing corruption trials and the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant over war crimes allegations. The Israeli prime minister is standing trial on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate cases.
The election scenario portion of the poll showed the opposition bloc with a clear advantage. All opposition parties combined were projected to win 68.75 seats, while the Netanyahu-led camp would get 51.25 seats. This means the opposition has crossed the 61-seat threshold required to form a government. Eisenkot's party, with 22.75 seats, narrowly outperformed Netanyahu's Likud Party (22.25 seats).
The poll calculated that Arab parties would win a total of 10.5 seats, with the Democratic Front and Arab Change Movement alliance securing 6 seats and the United Arab List winning 4.5 seats.
Another poll published the same day by the Maariv newspaper presented a similar picture. In that poll as well, Eisenkot's party was ahead of Likud.
Meanwhile, there is also movement within the ruling Likud Party. According to Channel 13, Netanyahu told party officials that the current candidate list 'will not bring Likud back to power.' A party official said Netanyahu is seeking 'new blood' and wants to strengthen the list with new names. The current parliament's term ends in October, and general elections are scheduled for that date.
