If elections were held in Israel today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud would remain the largest party in the Knesset with 30 seats, a new poll published Sunday by broadcaster Channel 12 found.
Yesh Atid headed by Opposition Leader Yair Lapid would come in second with 17 seats, albeit with a significantly lower number than the Likud.
The poll showed a decline for two right-wing parties who were previously making a strong showing.
Former Likud minister Gideon Saar's New Hope would secure 14 seats while former education and defense minister Naftali Bennett's Yamina would win 13 seats in the next Knesset.
The Joint List alliance of predominantly Arab parties, which currently has 15 Knesset seats, would shrink to 10 seats as it continues its downward trend in recent surveys.
Ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism were each predicted to win eight Knesset seats.
Yisrael Beiteinu, headed by Avigdor Liberman, would receive seven seats, the poll showed, followed by the Labor Party with five, left-wing Meretz with four and Defense Minister Benny Gantz's centrist Blue & White party plummeting to four from its current 14.
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai’s newly-formed The Israelis party would not pass the electoral threshold, along with former IDF chief Moshe Ya’alon’s Telem party and Knesset Member Orly Levy’s Gesher party.
The political factions have until February 4 to register their slates for the Knesset to the Central Elections Committee, ahead of the March 23 elections that will be Israel's fourth in two years.
Reprinted courtesy of i24NEWS