Lapid and Netanyahu
Lapid and NetanyahuMarc Israel Sellem/Flash 90

The Likud would win the most seats in the Knesset if elections were held today, a poll released Friday by Channel 10 News finds.

The poll, conducted by Professor Camil Fuchs, found that the Likud would win 26 seats, four fewer than it has today. Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid would win 25 seats.

In third place are the Jewish Home and the Joint List, which would win 13 seats each. This signifies a strengthening for the Jewish Home, which would have five more Knesset seats than it has today.

The Zionist Union would fall to just 10 Knesset seats, the poll found. Yisrael Beytenu, United Torah Judaism and Meretz would each win seven seats. Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu and Shas would win six seats.

The poll also found that former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s new party would not pass the electoral threshold, getting just 2.5% of the votes, while 3.25% is required to pass the threshold.

Last Friday, a Channel 2 News poll found that Yesh Atid would win four more seats than the Likud.

A count of the “seats” in that poll found that the bloc of parties that would likely not be a part of a coalition headed by Binyamin Netanyahu would consist of the Zionist Union, Meretz, Yesh Atid, Ya'alon's party and the Joint List – meaning Lapid could form a coalition with the Joint List.

Minister Ze’ev Elkin (Likud) later said that the results of the poll were appropriate for the holiday of Purim.

“I hope that when we do get to elections, Israeli citizens will ask themselves whether they are prepared to have someone who has no experience at all lead them in the complex situation in Israel, and whether they want it to be based on the votes of the Arab Joint List, and will answer very clearly at the ballot box, as they did in the last elections, and will vote for Netanyahu and the Likud. There is no other sane alternative,” added Elkin.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)