As a growing number of public officials take the plunge into national politics ahead of the March elections, major Israeli news outlets projected Wednesday that Likud would still best its rivals, although chances of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a coalition remain precarious.
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Channel 12 News predicted that were election held at this time, Likud would win 28 Knesset seats, followed by New Hope (17), Yesh Atid (13), Yamina (12), the Joint Arab List (11), ultra-Orthodox Sephardi party Shas (8), Ashkenazi Haredi party United Torah Judaism (8), the Israelis party (8), Yisrael Beytenu (6), Merez (5), and Blue and White with only four seats.
Under Israeli law, four seats, or 3.25% of the votes, is the minimal prerequisite to pass the electoral threshold.
A poll by Channel 13 News reached relatively similar results, giving Likud would win 29 seats, followed by New Hope (17), Yamina (12), Yesh Atid (11), the Joint Arab List (10), the Israelis party (9), Shas (8), United Torah Judaism (8), Yisrael Beytenu (6), Merez (5), and Blue and White (5).
Kan 11 News echoed these results as well, predicting 28 seats for Likud, followed by New Hope (18), Yamina (14), Yesh Atid (13), JAL (11), the Israelis party (9), Shas (8), UTJ(7), Yisrael Beytenu (5), Meretz (4), and Blue and White (4).
As previous polls by all media outlets have shown, the Labor, Gesher, Habayit Hayehudi, and far-Right Otzma Yehudit parties are not expected to get into the Knesset. Former Yesh Atid MK Ofer Shelah's independent Knesset bid is also projected to fail.
All three polls asked respondents who they believed was best qualified to be the prime minister.
According to Channel 12 News, Netanyahu was favored by 34%, while 32% preferred New Hope leader Gideon Sa'ar. Some 28% answered "neither" and 6% said they had no opinion on the matter.
Over at Channel 13 News, 38% of respondents named Netanyahu, 18% favored Sa'ar, 12% preferred Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, 9% selected Yamina leader Naftali Bennett, and only 4% opted for Blue and White leader Benny Gantz.
Netanyahu fared best in the Kan 11 News poll, where 41% said he should be the prime minister, while 33% named Sa'ar.
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