Two new polls Wednesday provide the first data since Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s much touted Congress address on Tuesday, and show that Likud has evened gaps shown in the last poll before the speech which saw it behind Labor 24 to 21.
In the first of the polls by Channel 2, Labor and Hatnua’s “Zionist Camp” gets 24 again, but Likud is up to 23.
The joint Arab list comes in third with 13 mandates, while Yesh Atid and Jewish Home tie for fourth with 12 apiece. Jewish Home has relapsed into its slump after a recent poll gave it 14 in the first such result since Knesset lists were submitted.
Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu gets eight mandates, and Yisrael Beytenu, Shas, United Torah Judaism and Meretz all come in at six. Eli Yishai’s Yachad – Ha’am Itanu joint list with Otzma Yehudit passes the threshold at four seats.
The poll also asked about which candidate is viewed as most fitting for the role of prime minister, and the incumbent Netanyahu continues to lead widely with 47%, as opposed to a mere 28% who sided with Labor party head Yitzhak Herzog.
The results constitute a 3% rise for Netanyahu from a similar poll last week, and a 4% drop for Herzog, in an indication of the positive reception Netanyahu’s address enjoyed. Meanwhile 21% didn’t know who was most appropriate, while 4% said both were just as fitting.
In the second poll by Channel 10, Likud and Labor came out tied at 23 mandates each.
Yesh Atid and the joint Arab list came in at 13 apiece, and Jewish Home dropped further to 11 seats.
Kulanu enjoyed a stronger showing in the poll with ten mandates, Shas got seven, United Torah Judaism six, Meretz and Yisrael Beytenu at five each, and Ha’am Itanu again passed with four.