Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael Elections 2026The Jewish opposition maintains a plurality of 58 seats compared to the Netanyahu government's 52, but neither side can form a government without the two Arab parties' remaining 10 seats. Both sides remain short of the required 61-seat majority of the Knesset's 120 total seatsShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribePrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a military ceremony in southern Israel, Thursday. Credit: Ilan AssayagPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a military ceremony in southern Israel, Thursday. Credit: Ilan Assayag02:05 PM • June 26 2026 IDTPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition continues inching up in the polls and gaining a seat, a Channel 12 poll published on Thursday shows.According to the poll, Netanyahu's Likud wins 23 seats – one more than previous polling showed – while former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party keeps the second place and continues leading among the opposition with 21 seats. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's Together party drops a seat to 18 in total.According to the poll, a new non-aligned party may cross the electoral threshold – at least 3.25 percent of the vote, an equivalent of four seats – if it enters the game – led by former Prime Minister Benny Gantz, former Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel and Brig. Gen. (res.) Dedi Simchi.The Democrats, led by the IDF's former deputy chief Yair Golan, stays stable at 10 seats, followed by the Yisrael Beiteinu opposition party, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party and the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox party Shas, winning nine seats each.The Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism wins seven seats, the poll shows, followed by the left-wing Arab party Hadash-Ta'al with six.Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party wins four, same as MK Mansour Abbas' United Arab List, which was part of the Government of Change led by Bennett in 2021.Channel 12 election poll, June 25Likud23Yashar21Together18The Democrats10Yisrael Beiteinu9Shas9Otzma Yehudit9United Torah Judaism7Hadash-Ta'al6Religious Zionism4United Arab List4The Jewish opposition loses a seat but maintains a plurality of 58 seats compared to the Netanyahu government's 52, while neither side can form a government without the two Arab parties' remaining 10 seats.Similar to previous polling, both sides remain short of the required 61-seat majority of the Knesset's 120 total seats, even though the opposition remains six seats ahead with a narrowing gap.The Arab party Balad, which was previously disqualified for rejecting Israel's Jewish nature but ran after winning an appeal, also remains short of the threshold with 1.5 percent of the vote.According to the poll, if Gantz's Kahol Lavan, Hendel's Reservists Party and the reserve general Simchi run on a joint slate, their party would win five Knesset seats, crossing the electoral threshold in a shift from previous polling.Israel's political blocs if Benny Gantz, Yoaz Hendel and Dedi Simchi run on a joint slate.Israel's political blocs if Benny Gantz, Yoaz Hendel and Dedi Simchi run on a joint slate.Channel 13 and Kan public television's Wednesday polls also said a joint slate led by the three could cross the threshold, winning a potential seven seats.Haaretz PodcastThe Israeli far-right’s West Bank land grab and why it's a ticking time bombHaaretz PodcastThe Israeli far-right’s West Bank land grab and why it's a ticking time bombtotal-- : --time0:00Gantz, who was both in Netanyahu-led and Bennett-led governments, has recently called for the prime minister to resign but rejected claims that he is bound to the opposition. Hendel, a former member of Gantz's party, has also served in both governments, while Simchi has yet to voice support for either side.According to Channel 12, such a joint party would draw its five seats from both coalition and opposition supporters, with Netanyahu's bloc dropping from 52 to 50 and the Jewish opposition dropping from 58 to 55. Even with the non-aligned party, both sides remain short of the required 61.In the NewsIn Latest Poll, Netanyahu's Likud Gains Seat as Bennett's Decline ContinuesDeclassified Records Reveal How Israel Launched Its 'Boldest Operation Ever'Israeli FM Pushes Armenian Genocide Recognition as Tensions With Turkey EscalateFrom the October Hate Rally to Congress: A Major Warning Sign Out of New YorkHope or Fear: How Will Netanyahu's Rivals Use Trump's Iran Deal?Remembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIAs the World Watched Gaza, Israeli Settlers Charged Ahead in the West Bank. A Clash Is ImminentWhere Does Andy Burnham Stand on Israel and Palestine?Trump's Iran Deal Castrates Netanyahu, but It's Still Catastrophic for IsraelReport: Netanyahu 'Likely' to Sabotage Iran Deal, U.S. Officials Tell TrumpThe IDF's Russian Roulette in Lebanon Continues – and No One Can Explain WhyShin Bet and IDF Planned to Warn Netanyahu Before Oct. 7. Mossad Head Refused