A new opinion poll has revealed that 57 percent of Israelis support holding early elections and that if they were held today, a new party led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett would emerge as the largest, winning 24 seats in the Knesset.

The survey, conducted by Israel's private Channel 12 and published late on Wednesday, showed that Bennett's party would secure 24 out of 120 Knesset seats, followed by the Likud party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with 22 seats and the Democratic Party led by Yair Golan with 12 seats.

The ultra-Orthodox Shas party, led by Aryeh Deri, and Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, would each receive 10 seats, while Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid would get 9. United Torah Judaism, led by Yitzchak Goldknopf, and Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben Gvir, would gain eight seats each.

Benny Gantz's National Unity Party would receive seven seats, while Hadash–Ta'al and the United Arab List would take five seats each.

Parties failing to pass the electoral threshold (3.25 percent of valid votes) included Religious Zionism led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (2.8 percent), and the Balad Party (1.2 percent).

In terms of political blocs, opposition parties, excluding Arab factions, would secure 62 seats, or 72 when including all opposition groups. The current governing coalition would drop to just 48 seats.

To form a government, a candidate for prime minister must secure the support of at least 61 Knesset members.

Netanyahu or Bennett? 

The same poll showed that 57 percent of respondents support early elections—including 88 percent of opposition voters—while 31 percent oppose the idea, including roughly 60 percent of coalition supporters.

Asked about ultra-Orthodox participation in future governments, 33 percent of respondents said they support including Haredi parties in the next coalition, 55 percent opposed their inclusion, and 12 percent were undecided.

Regarding election priorities, 43 percent of respondents cited the failure surrounding the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas as the top issue, followed by judicial reform (20 percent), the military draft law (17 percent) and Iran (9 percent), while 11 percent were unsure.

The current Israeli government, formed at the end of 2022, is legally mandated to remain in office until the end of 2026 unless early elections are called.

Asked who is best suited to serve as prime minister, 39 percent chose Netanyahu, 22 percent preferred opposition leader Yair Lapid and 32 percent said neither.

In a separate match-up, Bennett received 39 percent support compared to 34 percent for Netanyahu, with 20 percent saying neither is suitable. Benny Gantz received 23 percent in a similar comparison against 37 percent for Netanyahu.

Bennett, who launched a new political party in early April reportedly under the temporary name "Bennett 2026," has emerged as a leading challenger amid growing political crises in the current Netanyahu-led government, which is facing pressure from religious coalition partners to dissolve the Knesset over the unresolved military draft exemption for Haredim, or ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Corruption trial

Long before starting the genocide in Gaza, Netanyahu was on trial for corruption.

In 2019, he was charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust. His trial began in 2020.

In January 2023, he proposed a judicial overhaul that would limit the Supreme Court's powers. Critics of the overhaul argued that this is an attempt by Netanyahu to escape justice.

The proposed overhaul triggered mass protests across Israel on a weekly basis until October 7, 2023.

Over a year and a half into the Gaza genocide, families of the hostages, along with thousands of Israelis, accuse Netanyahu of obstructing all ceasefire deals and dragging the war, effectively preventing the return of the captives.

Netanyahu also faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes in Gaza.