Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slowly regaining the support that he lost at the outset of the Oct. 7 massacre while the momentum of his chief competitor is waning, according to a new poll released by Channel 14 in Israel.
Netanyahu's right-wing Likud coalition would secure 59 total mandates if the election were held today, just two shy of its current 61, according to the projections.
In the head-to-head contest, Netanyahu leads Benny Gantz (National Unity) 47% to 34%. In another hypothetical, Netanyahu leads Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) 49% to 28%, according to the Channel 14 poll.
Channel 14 openly supports Netanyahu's government, according to The Jerusalem Post. Its survey was conducted by Direct Polls.
Gantz's left-wing National Unity surged in the early days of Israel's war against Hamas following their invasion of Israel beginning Oct. 7.
The survey shows Netanyahu winning 28 Knesset seats, if elections were held today, versus 26 for National Unity and 12 for Lapid's Yesh Atid.
However, two other surveys tell a very different story. Recent polls by Channel 13 and Channel 12 show Gantz's party earning 37 seats compared to 18 for Netanyahu's Likud.
Further, Channel 12 has Gantz leading Netanyahu 43% to 27% and Netanyahu leading Lapid 31% to 25%.
Netanyahu has faced criticism for the massacre from the start over Israel's security forces being caught off guard despite intelligence that Hamas had been planning the attack for two years. His response to the massacre was criticized, as was his inability to free all of the original 240 hostages. He also waited many days to meet with families of hostages.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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