On May 29, 2024, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw a significant shift in public opinion, suggesting he might retain power despite the October 7, 2023, crisis. A Channel 12 survey indicated Netanyahu had overtaken Benny Gantz as the preferred prime ministerial candidate for the first time in a year, with Netanyahu receiving 36% of respondents’ support compared to Gantz’s 30%. This marks a notable change from December, when Gantz led with 45% to Netanyahu’s 27%. The trend has gradually narrowed, reflecting a turning point in Netanyahu’s favor.
Although Israelis vote for parties rather than individual candidates, the survey also revealed positive news for Netanyahu’s Likud party, which is gaining ground on Gantz’s National Unity, now predicting 21 seats to National Unity’s 25 if elections were held today.
This is a significant improvement from December when Gantz’s party led with 37 seats to Likud’s 18. However, Netanyahu’s coalition still falls short of a Knesset majority with 52 seats, while the anti-Netanyahu bloc, holding 68 seats, remains fragmented. Factors such as the Arab parties’ potential reluctance to join a coalition and internal party conflicts suggest that the anti-Netanyahu factions could realistically muster only 58 seats.
