Religious Zionist Party secures four seats as coalition bloc increases to 53

The latest survey shows the coalition bloc increasing to 53 seats, gaining four since the previous poll due to the rise of the Religious Zionist Party. The opposition bloc now stands at 57 seats, while HadashTaal and Raam together secured 10 seats.

The Religious Zionist Party passed Israels electoral threshold for the first time in several weeks, reaching four seats in the Knesset according to the Maariv poll conducted by Lazar Research with Panel4All. The results suggest a shift influenced by party members recent declarations that they would not support the governments proposal exempting haredi citizens from the draft.

Seat distribution showed Likud with 26 seats, Bennett with 22, Israel Beytenu with nine, The Democrats with nine, Yesh Atid with nine, Otzma Yehudit with eight, Shas with eight, Yashar! alongside Eisenkot with eight, United Torah Judaism with seven, HadashTaal with five, Raam with five, and the Religious Zionist Party with four. The Reservists Party, however, dropped below the electoral threshold at 2.4%.

Public Opinion on Netanyahu Pardon and Voting Rights

The poll also revealed that a majority support President Isaac Herzog granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Thirty-eight percent favor a full pardon, 27% only under the condition that Netanyahu admits guilt and retires from politics, 21% oppose, and 14% are undecided.

Regarding voting rights, 45% support removing Knesset voting eligibility from draft-aged citizens who do not report for service, while 38% oppose and 17% expressed no opinion.

The survey was carried out December 34 among a representative group of 500 adults across Israels Jewish and Arab populations, with a sampling margin of error of 4.4%.

Registrar Confirms Name for Reservists Party

In a separate development, the Registrar of Political Parties approved the use of the name The Reservists for the new faction led by Yoaz Hendel after dismissing a Likud objection claiming the title could mislead the public. Approval allows the party to finalize registration and move forward with its activities, though the poll results indicate it still falls short of entering the Knesset.

Sources:

• Religious Zionist Party crosses threshold with four seats as coalition bloc climbs to 53

Author: Olivia Parker
Olivia Parker is a journalist and editor with over 8 years in media. She focuses on culture, arts, and social issues, skilled in feature writing and critical reviews.