Support is growing domestically for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the nation intensifies its conflict with the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hamas, with recent poll numbers indicating the right-wing bloc in Israel is approaching 60 seats.
According to a survey conducted by Direct Polls and published by Israel’s Channel 14 on Monday, if elections were conducted today, Netanyahu’s Likud Party would secure 26 mandates—one of its strongest showings since the October 7 massacre, which was the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, delivers a statement in Ramat Gan, Israel, June 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg
The poll also showed Gantz’s National Unity Party coming in second with 17 mandates.
“The people of Israel recognize we’re in a war for our national survival. And one thing is for sure, they view every effort to overthrow the government and force Israel to surrender as a reason to support Netanyahu more, not less,” wrote conservative American-Israeli columnist Caroline Glick.
The poll results follow Gantz’s resignation from Israel’s War Cabinet on Sunday, reportedly due to the absence of a postwar strategy for Gaza. Although this move does not pose an immediate threat to Netanyahu, it heightens his dependence on right-wing supporters.
