The survey found that after an initial symbolic boost at the start of the campaign, the coalition lost that gain and fell back to 50 Knesset seats.
Contrary to expectations surrounding wartime politics, Israel’s conflict with Iran has so far had little substantial impact on the political map, according to a Maariv poll published after the second week of Operation Roaring Lion.
The survey found that after an initial symbolic boost at the start of the campaign, the coalition lost that gain and fell back to 50 Knesset seats.
The opposition, meanwhile, strengthened by one seat to 60, while Arab parties Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am together held 10 seats.
Likud remained unchanged this week at 27 seats, while Otzma Yehudit lost one seat. In the opposition bloc, Bennett 2026 and Yesh Atid each gained one seat, while Yashar!, led by Gadi Eisenkot, dropped by one.
When respondents were asked how they would vote if the next Knesset election were held with the current party lineup, the results were: Likud at 27 seats; Bennett at 22, Yashar! at 13; the Democrats at 10; Otzma Yehudit, Shas, and Yisrael Beytenu all at 8; United Torah Judaism and Yesh Atid each at 7; and Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am at 5 each.
Religious Zionist Party, with 3%, the Reservists, with 2.8%, Balad, with 1.4%, and Blue and White, with 1.3%, all remained below the electoral threshold for another week.
Tzomet, led by Moshe Green, also failed to cross the threshold, receiving 2.4%.
Confidence in Netanyahu’s handling of Iran war rose this week
The poll also found that public confidence in the way Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is handling Operation Roaring Lion rose slightly this week, from 60% to 62%. Some 33% said they did not trust him, while 5% said they were unsure.
Israelis appeared doubtful that the current military operation would lead to regime change in Iran. According to the survey, 36% said they did not believe that would happen, compared with 28% who said they thought it would, while another 36% said they did not know.
The survey also showed that a majority of Israelis (53%) support the immediate reopening of workplaces. At the same time, most respondents opposed reopening events (66%) or schools (67%).
The findings come from a Maariv poll conducted by the Lazar Research Institute, headed by Dr. Menachem Lazar, in cooperation with Panel4All.
The survey was conducted among 500 respondents representing a sample of Israel’s adult population aged 18 and over, including both Jews and Arabs. The margin of error is 4.4%.
