Fifty percent of right-wing Israelis believe early elections should be called, with 40% of Israelis who specifically voted for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party saying the same, according to a poll published by N12 on Tuesday.
According to the poll, 30% of all Israelis believe that elections should be declared now, while 34% believe a date for elections should be set for after the war, and 29% said elections should be held at the end of the current Knesset’s term in 2026.
Respondents were also asked if Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party should remain in the coalition, with 30% saying the party should leave the coalition and 48% saying it should stay.
Among respondents who voted for the bloc led by Netanyahu, 54% said Gantz should remain in the coalition, while 48% of voters opposed to Netanyahu felt the same.
Should a state commission of inquiry be formed into October 7?
The poll also found strong support for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry to examine the failures which occurred on October 7. According to the poll, 49% of Israelis believe such a commission should already be set up now, while 43% think it should wait until the end of the war. Only 2% of respondents said there should not be a state commission of inquiry.
Among respondents who voted for the bloc led by Netanyahu, 93% said a state commission of inquiry should be established, while among those who voted for opponents of Netanyahu, 97% said the same.
Biden or Trump?
Respondents were also asked by N12 if they’d prefer to see former president Donald Trump or US President Joe Biden, with 44% saying they prefer Trump, 30% saying they prefer Biden, and 26% saying they were unsure.
Among respondents who voted for the bloc led by Netanyahu, 72% said they prefer Trump and only 8% said they prefer Biden, while among those who voted for opponents of Netanyahu, 55% said they prefer Biden and 23% said they prefer Trump.
Gantz still leading in polls
The poll also examined what the Knesset would look like if elections were held today.
According to the poll, the National Unity Party would lead with 35 seats, while the Likud Party would earn 19 seats, Yesh Atid would earn 14 seats, and Shas would earn 11 seats.
Meanwhile, Yisrael Beytenu would earn 10 seats, Otzma Yehudit would earn nine seats, United Torah Judaism would earn seven seats, and Hadash-Ta’al, Ra’am, and Meretz would earn five seats each. The Religious Zionist Party and Labor would not pass the electoral threshold.
The poll would leave the current coalition (excluding Gantz) with 46 seats, while the opposition would earn 69 seats (excluding Hadash-Ta’al as they traditionally do not join governments.)
Respondents were also asked who they think would be a better prime minister: Netanyahu or Gantz, with 41% saying they prefer Gantz, 29% saying they prefer Netanyahu, and 23% saying neither is good for the role. When asked the same question about Netanyahu and Lapid, 32% said they preferred Netanyahu, while 27% said they preferred Lapid, and 36% said neither is good for the role.
