Survey shows political gridlock in Israel as no party in position to form gov't if polls held today

By Abderaouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – A new poll has revealed that forming a government in Israel will be impossible for either Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's supporters or the opposition if elections are held today.

The poll, conducted by the Lazar Institute and published by the Israeli newspaper Maariv on Friday, found that Netanyahu’s camp would win 51 seats in the parliament or Knesset, the opposition would secure 59 seats, and the Arab parties would garner 10 seats.

In Israel, a majority of 61 seats is required to form a government. The findings show that neither camp is close to meeting this threshold, indicating that the political gridlock will persist.

According to the survey, Netanyahu's Likud Party leads with 24 seats, followed by the opposition National Unity Party led by Benny Gantz, which would secure 19 seats.

The opposition Yesh Atid party, headed by former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, would win 15 seats, while Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, would get 14 seats.

An interesting aspect of the survey was the hypothetical inclusion of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who may lead a new right-wing party.

If Bennett were to re-enter politics and lead a new party, the opposition would potentially gain 66 seats, while Netanyahu’s bloc would receive just 44 seats, leaving 10 seats for Arab parties.

However, Bennett has yet to declare his intention to return to politics, and there are no current plans for new elections, particularly in light of Netanyahu's refusal to hold elections while the war in Gaza continues.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in October last year, killing over 44,300 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 104,900.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi