Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party are surging in Israeli voter polls following the end of the war in Gaza and the successful return of 20 living hostages. New data shows Netanyahu’s political standing is dramatically improving, making him the clear front-runner ahead of next year’s elections.
According to The Times of Israel, if elections were held today, Likud would secure 34 seats in the Knesset—its strongest showing since the October 7 Hamas attack and the beginning of the war. This marks a major political rebound for Netanyahu, whose leadership has come under repeated fire from media outlets both domestically and abroad.
In contrast, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s new party would only secure 20 seats. Channel 14, a conservative Israeli outlet, found that 58% of Israelis now prefer Netanyahu as prime minister, compared to just 22% for Bennett and 11% for former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot. Other left-leaning figures like Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman each drew only 4% support.
The polling also shows Netanyahu’s ruling coalition gaining strength, with projections of 66 seats—two more than in 2022—giving him a firm majority. Opposition parties would claim 43 seats, while anti-Zionist Arab parties would retain 11.
Netanyahu’s wartime leadership, which was praised this week by President Donald Trump during a speech to the Knesset, appears to have solidified his political dominance. Despite intense scrutiny over his popularity earlier in the conflict, his handling of hostage negotiations, ceasefire diplomacy, and national defense has restored voter confidence.
Israel’s next elections are expected in about a year. Netanyahu, who has served as prime minister since 2009 except for a brief interruption between 2021 and 2022, now appears more politically secure than at any point in the last several years.
