Eisenkot continues rise in polls, overtakes Netanyahu’s Likud for first time

Gadi Eisenkot continues his meteoric rise through the polls, overtaking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party in a first major poll this week.

According to Channel 13 News, if elections were held today, Eisenkot’s Yashar would be the largest party in Israel and receive 23 seats, narrowly beating Likud with 22 seats.

The new poll confirmed the constant rise of Yashar, which party comes at the expense of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid’s Together, which fell by two more seats to only 15.

While Eisenkot seems to cement his place as Netanyahu’s foremost challenger, the overall picture is still not changing significantly, as none of the blocs are projected to win the 61-seat majority.

In a direct comparison of suitability for prime minister, Eisenkot pulled away from Netanyahu with 46% to 36%, respectively.

Knesset Seat Poll

🔴Yashar: 23 (+3)
🔵Likud: 22 (+1)
🔴Together: 15 (-2)
🔴Democrats: 10 (-1)
🔴Yisrael Beteinu: 10
🔵Shas: 8 (-1)
🔵Otzma: 8
🔵UTJ: 8
🟢Hadash-Ta'al: 6
🟢Ra'am: 5
🔵RZP: 5

changes w. July 1

via Hamadad/Chan13, July 8 pic.twitter.com/ja8JwxQmAL

— Israel Elects (@israel_elects) July 8, 2026

The current coalition received 51 mandates, while the so-called “change bloc,” also sometimes dubbed the “just-not-Bibi” bloc, received 58 seats in this poll.

The rest of the seats went to the Arab parties, of whom only Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am has indicated readiness to potentially join the change bloc and establish a new government, though some parties in the bloc oppose this.

Crucially, the centrist parties, including Benny Gantz’s Blue and White, and Chili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel’s new Yesodot Party, both narrowly missed crossing the threshold. Future mergers or the creation of additional parties in this space could cause the establishment of a new centrist force with the potential to change the overall situation between the blocs.

Meanwhile, the prime minister continued his efforts to shore up his party’s candidate slate for the coming elections, despite mounting opposition from Likud stalwarts.

Most Suitable for Prime Minister

🟥Eisenkot (Yashar): 46% (+3)
🟦Netanyahu (Likud): 36% (-3)

+/- June 24

via Hamadad/Chan13, July 1

— Israel Elects (@israel_elects) July 8, 2026

Netanyahu has pressured the party leadership to allow him sweeping powers to choose several reserve places on the list, rather than leave the process to the party primary elections, in an ostensible effort to optimize the candidate list.

Ynet News reported Thursday that he is demanding the right to choose 10 reserved places, including four of the first eight slots after himself at the top, as well as five more between the tenth and thirtieth spots.

The outlet cited Likud sources who explained Netanyahu plans to bring in popular figures from outside the party and push some sitting lawmakers further down the list, where they could struggle to make it into the next Knesset.

The state of the Yashar-Likud race, according to this weeks' polls (so far)

🟥Hamadad (July 8): Yashar +1
🟪Midgam (July 6): Tie
🟪Kantar (July 5): Tie

— Israel Elects (@israel_elects) July 8, 2026

One of the candidates rumored to be considered for Netanyahu’s reserved spots is Yoseph Haddad, the popular Arab-Israeli pro-Israel activist.

He held a first meeting with people from the supporter network he has built over the years this week, and is testing his ground support while weighing whether to join an existing party, form his own platform, or accept the reported offer from Netanyahu, according to Ynet.

A Midgam Institute survey indicated that a new party under Haddad’s leadership could win up to four seats, highlighting his popularity particularly among you voters, with the potential of also winning over fellow Israeli-Arab voters.

Eisenkot has also been filling out his party’s candidate list, announcing on Thursday that the Iranian-born former Shin Bet and Mossad operative Dvora Sharifian Baker would join Yashar.