As the 2021 Knesset election campaign gets underway, "Globes" returns with coverage of opinion polls published in the Israel press and media. A poll published in "Ma'ariv" on Friday shows that former minister Ze'ev Elkin's defection from Likud to Gideon Sa'ar's new party New Hope has strengthened the latter among the electorate and has cost Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud votes. Elkin used to be a close confidant of Netanyahu.
The poll was carried out on December 24, and also included the new party set up by Ofer Shelah, who announced less than 24 hours previously that he was leaving Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party. In this poll, Shelah is below the minimum vote threshold for winning any Knesset seats, as are the Labor Party, Habayit Hayehudi, and Orly Levy-Abekasis's Gesher party. It is too early to judge Shelah's move. Presumably he will recruit other public figures to his new party, and there will be mergers and alliances. If this happens, his position may improve.
At a projected 15 Knesset seats, the Yesh Atid-Telem alliance led by Yair Lapid and Moshe Ya'alon is below where it was before Sa'ar formed his new party. There has been a similar effect on Yamina, led by Naftali Bennett. Although the current poll shows Yamina winning 14 seats, more than in any previous election, this is still below the party's standing in the opinion polls before the Knesset was dissolved.
The poll results in full are:
Likud - 25 Knesset seats
New Hope - 21
Yesh Atid-Telem - 15
Yamina - 14
Joint Arab List - 11
Shas - 8
United Torah Judaism - 7
Meretz - 7
Yisrael Beitenu - 7
Blue & White - 4
As mentioned, no other party passes the minimum vote threshold for winning representation in the Knesset.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on December 27, 2020
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