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The poll, published in the left-wing Ma'ariv daily, showed Likud
winning 24 seats, against 32 at present, its highest score in
the Ma'ariv poll since Oct. 7. It put the National Unity Party
led by centrist former general Benny Gantz on 21.
Netanyahu's right-wing coalition with a clutch of
nationalist-religious and ultra-Orthodox parties would lose any
election held now, with 53 seats in the 120-seat parliament,
against 58 for the main opposition bloc, according to the poll.
But Likud's advance shows how far Netanyahu has moved since last
year when his standing was hit by public fury at the security
failures when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israel, killing 1,200
people and taking more than 250 hostages.
Earlier in the war against Hamas in Gaza, opinion polls
regularly showed Likud gaining no more than 16-18 seats in
parliament.
The survey also showed Netanyahu's personal standing as prime
minister recovering, with respondents favouring him over any
alternative potential candidate apart from former Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett, who is now out of politics.
Despite coalition tensions between Netanyahu and several
ministers, and regular protests by Israelis demanding a deal to
bring home the Gaza hostages, the government has held together
for almost two years. An election is not due until 2026.
Netanyahu has clashed with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, from
his own party, and two hardliners - National Security Minister
Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
While Likud has climbed steadily, support has not followed for
the two nationalist religious parties, Jewish Power, led by Ben-Gvir,
and Religious Zionism, under Smotrich, giving both parties an
incentive not to leave the government.
(Reporting by James Mackenzie, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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