Netanyahu’s Likud drops to lowest level since August 2025, poll shows

Support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party fell to its lowest level in nearly a year, while two leading rivals gained ground in the race for premier, a new Israeli opinion poll published Friday showed.

According to a survey published by the Israeli daily Maariv, Likud lost three seats compared with the previous poll and would win 22 seats in the 120-member Knesset, its lowest showing since August 2025, when it polled at 21 seats.

The decline comes amid political controversy over a proposed law concerning military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews, as well as remarks by US President Donald Trump questioning whether Netanyahu intends to run in the next election.

In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Trump said: “I don’t know, he’s had an amazing career.”

“I don’t know. He’s had an incredible career. Does he want to keep going? Because, you know, he’s a wartime prime minister. We’re going to win the war soon one way or another.”

The current Knesset’s term expires in October, with elections expected to be held in September or October.

Despite Likud’s decline, the poll pointed to continued political deadlock, with neither Netanyahu’s camp nor the opposition securing enough seats to form a government.

Parties aligned with Netanyahu would win 50 seats, compared with 60 seats for Jewish opposition parties and 10 seats for Arab parties. Forming a government requires the backing of at least 61 lawmakers.

Most Jewish opposition parties have said they would not rely on Arab parties to form a governing coalition.

The survey also showed growing support for former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, whose opposition Yashar party rose to 20 seats. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Together party slipped by two seats to 21.

In the race for the premiership, Eisenkot led Netanyahu with 44% support, compared to 40% for the prime minister. Bennett also outperformed Netanyahu, with 43% support versus 39%.

Eisenkot, who served as Israel’s military chief of staff between Feb. 2015 and Jan. 2019, has emerged as one of the country’s leading security figures in politics.

He opposes full Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, arguing it could create a binational state, while also rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state under current conditions.

The survey was conducted by the private Lazar Research Institute and included a sample of 500 Israelis, with a margin of error of 4.4%.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul