By Abdelraouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) - An opinion poll in Israel revealed on Friday that if elections were held today, Benny Gantz, leader of the opposition National Unity Party, would surpass Benjamin Netanyahu for the position of prime minister.
According to a poll published Friday by the Israeli daily Maariv, only 35% of respondents believe Netanyahu is fit for the position of prime minister, while 42% prefer Gantz, a former member of the country's emergency unity government.
The results of the Lazar Institute poll also showed that 23% of the random sample of 510 Israelis had no answer for their choice of premier.
According to the poll results, if elections were held on the same day, the National Unity party would secure 23 out of 120 seats in the Knesset, or Israeli parliament. The Likud party, led by Netanyahu, would have 22 seats and the Yesh Atid party, headed by opposition leader Yair Lapid, would get 16.
The survey also indicated an unexpected surge in support for right-wing opposition party Yisrael Beiteinu, led by former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
With the polling results, the party would have secured 14 seats, up from nine seats in previous polls.
The daily also noted that the bloc supporting Netanyahu's government would secure 48 seats, while the opposition would obtain 62, and Arab representatives 10 seats.
To form a government in Israel, at least 61 votes are needed in the Knesset.
Given Netanyahu's reluctance to hold early elections, there are no imminent prospects of a vote in the country.
Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.
The Palestinian death toll from relentless Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since last October has exceeded 37,400, according to the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave.
More than 85,600 people have also been injured in the onslaught, the ministry added.
Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi