With the scent of elections in the air in Israel, and the Blue and White Party and Likud constantly at each other’s throats, and the looming budget which needs to be passed before the winter ends, a new poll was released that shows that a strong right-wing coalition is possible involving just four parties.

Assuming the parties could agree to sit together, Likud, Yamina, and the two Charedi parties UTJ and Shas could form a solid coalition that according to the new poll, would garner them 66 seats in the Knesset.

The poll, which was conducted by Direct Polls has continued the recent trend showing the ascendancy of the right-wing camp in Israel, lead mainly by a surge of the Yamina party. Such a coalition would not require Lieberman, or even Blue and White to join in order to have a solid majority. However, with Bennett and Netanyahu also at odds, and Bennett currently distancing himself farther and farther from the Charedi parties, the question remains as to whether or not such a coalition could exist.

According to the poll, Likud would garner 30 seats if an election were held today while Bennett’s Yamina party would come in as a strong second with 20 seats. Yesh Atid would be the third-largest party with 18 seats followed by the United Arab List with 13. Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party would plummet to 9 seats and Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party would join him at that plateau, gaining a seat from their current level of 8.

The Charedi parties of Shas and UTJ would both get 8 seats, and Meretz would round out the Knesset with 5. Thus the Right-wing, should they join together could have 66 seats, the left-wing side with the Arab parties would have 45 and Lieberman would have the remaining 9.

The Derech Eretz Party of Hendel and Hauser, the Labor party, as well as Gesher and Otzma Yehudit, would not pass the threshold.

The poll was conducted across the social and political spectrum of Israel and 710 people were polled.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)