A new poll has shown that the split in the Joint Arab list has a small but positive effect on the Likud-led bloc.
The poll, conducted for Kan News, showed that 42% of respondents believe that Balad's breakoff from the Joint Arab List, which now comprises just Hadash and Ta'al, hurts Arab society. Balad is polling far below the electoral threshold. Meanwhile, the voter turnout in the Arab sector is estimated to be around 40%.
According to the poll, if elections were held today, the Likud would receive 33 Knesset seats, followed by Yesh Atid with 24 seats.
The National Unity and Religious Zionism parties tied for third place, with 12 seats each.
Following them is Sephardic-haredi Shas with eight seats, down from nine in the previous poll, and Ashkenazic-haredi United Torah Judaism with seven seats. Labor would receive six seats, and two parties - Yisrael Beytenu and Meretz - would receive five seats each.
Concluding the list are Hadash-Ta'al and the United Arab List (Ra'am), with four seats each.
Divided into blocs, the Likud-led bloc would win 60 Knesset seats, while the opposing bloc would win 56 seats. Hadash-Ta'al, which does not join any government, holds the remaining four seats.
The poll also showed that about 7% of the voting public has said that they will vote for parties which at this stage are not expected to pass the electoral threshold.
The poll was conducted via internet and telephone, and included 702 men and women over age 18. It has an error margin of 3.7%.