By Ted Belman
The Channel 13 survey predicted 29 seats for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, 20 for Lapid’s Yesh Atid, 11 for Bennett’s Yamina and only nine for Sa’ar’s New Hope.
When the campaigns started Sa’ar was within 5 seats of Netanyau. He is now 19 behind.
The pro- Netanyahu block – Likud, Shas, UTJ and the Religious Zionist Party – received 46 seats.
The anti-Netanyahu block – Yesh Atid, New Hope, Yisrael Beytenu, Labor, Blue and White and Meretz – received 54.
Both blocs were unchanged since the last poll.
Yamina could join forces with the anti-Netanyahu bloc and use its 12 seats to enable the formation of a 66-seat coalition, or 62 seats without Meretz. Bennett has not ruled out joining a government led by Netanyahu, but the poll found that even with Yamina, the prime minister would not have enough support.
What happened to Smoltrich’s party?
@ Sebastien Zorn:
Too true.
Should this latest group of second tier statesmen succeed in unseating Netanyahu at this time, it will be a great loss for the state. Not one of them or all of them could replace Netanyahu’s ability to lead the state in the coming troubled times. The simple fact that there still remains no single voice, only many voices, to oppose/replace him despite all the political maneuvers and legal reinventions made against Netanyahu should speak loudly in his favor. This just seems to be a reiteration of last year’s game of “I want to be Prime Minister, so vote for us, not Netanyahu”. It is fair to state that Netanyahu’s political genius is intertwined with a desire to maintaining the status quo, and therefore avoid really dealing decisively with some very significant problems facing the state as has been well described on this site. But, I don’t think I would trust this rabble of self-appointed political princes to successfully thread a needle, much less lead the ship of state in troubled waters before us. Too many heads, too many hands. Israel needs a leader, not a committee to lead against Obama’s third term and its China Class henchmen.
@ Edgar G.:
I agree, I find it hard to believe that Smotrich would do this. Though, if he did, it would easily not be the most surprising development to occur this year, so far. It just doesn’t seem to be in keeping with Smotrich to do this.
@ Bear Klein:
Bear- If it’s the same report that was given by “Left of Cente Officials” then I saw it. If it is from personal knowledge and nside info that you have, then I don’t believe it. I don’t mean you, I mean them.
I have faith in Smotreich. who has ALWAYS shown himself to be very loyal to Netanyahu and the Right. Just last week he issued an official statement that he was absolutely loyal and supportive of Netanyahu. You surely must have seen this.
Until I actually SEE differently, I MUST take him at his word, which was an official “Declaration of Loyalty”. It seemed so to me.
@ Sebastien Zorn:
@ Sebastien Zorn:
I absolutely agree with you. Too dangerou/s to dispense with Netanyahu. Alway. s seems to be ine dangerous crisis after another for Israel. The “Way. of Life for a Jew”..
Hard to imagine Bibi being unseated while Biden is President. None of his opponents have given any evidence of the kind of Byzantine diplomatic and cold-war skills he has shown.
@ Edgar G.:
Thank you for your views. People who know Smotrich say there is a possibility that he would join in a coalition that does not include Bibi.
@ Bear Klein:
I don’t believe that Smotrich would ever join an anti-Netanyahu party. He is far too genuine a person, and I like him. Also, this “business” of sharing the PM position, is pure power grabbing and showing no internst in th voters. The voters have shown that they are stupid, but not THAT dumb. It also will breed major distrust amongst the Coalition”partners”…We have just seen how that iron-clad sgreement of PM sharing worked out with Gantz,….Hey…!
How could Bennett with 10-12 seats (maybe at election-time, fewer than that) ever hope to become PM with Sa’ar and Lapid waiting before him. He has been talking far too loudly of his taking the PM seat, and I think it absolutely the wrong tactic. Showing far to open power greed. He should show more modesty, but recently has outstripped himself in trying to shove himself into Natanyahu’s place. He will never do that , he is not fitted for it…yet.
But the way he’s “promoting ” it, it’s like THE BIG LIE.
So it is possible and it is being discussed within the parties that Bennett becomes the PM candidate of the Anti-Bibi camp. It is even possible that that Smotrich’s party the Religious Zionists join this camp in lieu of Meretz to provide a 67 seats total.