Polls Show Gadi Eisenkot Leading Benjamin Netanyahu Ahead of October Elections

Recent polling indicates that former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot and his Yashar party have opened a lead over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud party. According to a Zman Yisrael poll, Yashar would win 25 seats compared to 21 for Likud. A separate Maariv poll showed Yashar with 23 seats and Likud with 21. Despite these leads, neither the pro nor anti Netanyahu blocs have secured a clear majority of 61 seats in the 120 seat Knesset. The anti Netanyahu bloc is projected to win between 57 and 58 seats, while the pro Netanyahu coalition is estimated at 48 to 50 seats. Arab parties are projected to win between 11 and 12 seats. In terms of public preference for prime minister, one survey found Eisenkot leading with 49 percent support compared to 38 percent for Netanyahu. Other developments include reports that the Shin Bet is considering providing an armed security detail for Eisenkot due to election tensions and threats from Iran. Additionally, Yair Lapid stated that his B'Yachad party would not block an opposition led government, though he declined to explicitly endorse Eisenkot for prime minister. A center right outlet framed the results as a decline for Netanyahu's coalition caused by internal struggles and West Bank clashes. Meanwhile, a left leaning outlet framed the situation as a focused effort by opposition leaders to overcome disagreements and form a government.