Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc has strengthened by one seat to 64 mandates following the closing of the party lists for the Knesset, while the left-wing bloc remains unchanged at 44 and the Arab parties fall from 13 to 12, according to a Channel 14 survey released today.

Likud rises from 30 to 31 seats, while Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar remains in second place with 22. Shas stays at 10, while The Democrats fall from 10 to 8. Religious Zionism, Zehut and Otzma Yehudit each receive 8 seats. Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad, United Torah Judaism and Yisrael Beiteinu each receive 7.

Two other surveys released Wednesday paint a dramatically different picture. Channel 13 gives Yashar 22 seats, Likud just 19, Beyachad 13 and The Democrats 10, with the coalition and opposition blocs tied at 53 seats each and the Arab parties holding 14. Meanwhile, i24NEWS gives Likud 27 seats, Yashar 22, Beyachad 10 and The Democrats 9. UTJ and Otzma Yehudit each receive 8 in the i24 survey, while Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu each receive 7.

In the Channel 14 survey, Ofer Winter’s Amcha Yisrael remains below the electoral threshold, falling from 3% to 2.1%. Netanyahu also leads the prime minister suitability question with 51%, compared with Eisenkot at 34%, Bennett at 11% and Avigdor Lieberman at 4%. In a direct Netanyahu-Eisenkot matchup, Netanyahu leads 53% to 47%.

A separate Channel 14 question found that 88% of respondents did not change their choice after the party lists and candidates were presented. Meanwhile, 80% said small parties polling below the electoral threshold should withdraw from the race.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)