A week after the Knesset elections, as Israel's political system prepares for consultations with President Isaac Herzog, a new poll published Tuesday evening by i24NEWS shows broad public support for the formation of a unity government.
The poll, conducted by Direct Polls, found that 60% of respondents support establishing a unity government, while 34% oppose it.
The proposed coalition would include the Likud, Yashar, Beyachad and Religious Zionism parties. The question also specified a commitment to advance four measures: drafting haredim into the IDF, establishing a state commission of inquiry, canceling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trial, and advancing judicial reform through consensus.
In the first question, respondents were asked to choose between the main options for forming a government. The results showed an equal level of support for two very different scenarios: 34% favored holding another election, while an identical 34% supported a unity government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu.
The options involving Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister received lower levels of support. Sixteen percent favored a minority government led by the Yashar party chairman, while 14% supported a unity government under his leadership.
The poll also separately examined the possibility of an Eisenkot-led minority government relying on the support of Arab parties.
Under the scenario presented to respondents, Mansour Abbas' Ra'am party would join the government, while the Joint List would enable it to remain in power through external support or by abstaining in parliamentary votes.
The results showed widespread opposition to this arrangement: 74% of respondents opposed forming a government under the proposed framework, compared with 22% who supported it.
The poll also examined voting intentions in the event that political negotiations fail and Israel heads to another election.
According to the hypothetical election results, the Likud remains the largest party with 28 Knesset seats, one more than it won in the recent election.
Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party drops to 20 seats, one fewer than its election result, while the Beyachad party receives 12 seats.
The Joint List wins 11 seats, while the Democrats receive eight.
Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu also wins eight seats, gaining one compared with the election results.
Ra'am loses one seat and receives seven, matching the results for United Torah Judaism and Shas, which also win seven seats each.
Religious Zionism-Zehut and Otzma Yehudit each receive six seats.