election
electionHadas Parush/Flash90

Three days before the Knesset lists are to be finalized, a new poll conducted by the Ma'agar Mochot institute for Israel Hayom found that if elections were held today, the right-wing bloc under Binyamin Netanyahu would win 59 seats, two short of the majority needed to form a coalition.

Likud receives 33 seats in the poll, Yesh Atid 23, the National Union 12 and the Religious Zionism Party 12.

The Labor Party receives seven seats, Shas seven, United Torah Judaism seven, the Joint List six, Meretz five, Yisrael Beytenu four, and Ra'am four.

Ayelet Shaked's Zionist Union party would not pass the electoral threshold.

The survey examined what would be achieved by a union between the Meretz and Labor parties. The results show that a joint run of the two parties yields them 13 seats and places them as the third largest party, but on the other hand in such a scenario the right-wing bloc achieves a majority of 61 to form a government. The joint run would take votes from the National Union party, which falls to 11 seats,

Another scenario examined is a situation in which Naftali Bennett reverses his decision to retire from politics and decides to run in the elections for the 25th Knesset. A party led by him would win five seats and the main victim of such a move would again be Benny Gantz, whose party will be weakened to 10. Bennett's participation would also weaken Ra'am, Meretz, and Yisrael Beytenu, which would be in danger of falling below the electoral threshold.