Weekend Polls Predict 13 Knesset Seats for the “Joint List”

Two weekend polls, released on Friday, February 27, one in the daily newspaper Maariv and the other on Kol Israel (The Voice of Israel – public radio), each predict that, if the upcoming general elections were held today, the Joint List of Hadash and the Arab parties would win 13 Knesset seats.

In addition, following a report on the housing crisis in Israel published Wednesday, February 25 by State Comptroller Joseph Shapira, according to a poll conducted for Maariv on the same evening, more than twice as many Israelis blame neo-liberal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the dire situation than anyone else. When asked who specifically they blame for the crisis, 41% responded Netanyahu, 20% named former Finance Minister Yair Lapid, 16% accused the Israel Land Authority, 6% answered former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, 2% said that the building contractors were responsible, 1% pointed the finger at Minister of Construction Uri Ariel, and 14% responded that they did not know.

On Thursday night, February 26, the leaders of eight parties – The Joint List, Yahad, Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beytenu, Meretz, HaBayit HaYehudi, Kulanu, and Shas, – participated in the first debate of its kind on Israeli television, moderated by Channel 2 News anchor Yonit Levi.

On Thursday night, February 26, the leaders of eight parties – The Joint List, Yahad, Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beytenu, Meretz, HaBayit HaYehudi, Kulanu, and Shas, – participated in the first debate of its kind on Israeli television, moderated by Channel 2 News anchor Yonit Levi. (Photo: Channel 2)

Asked how much the housing crisis will influence their vote on March 17, 47% responded that it will have a significant or very significant impact; 52% said it will only have a marginal impact or won’t affect their vote at all; and only 1% claimed that they did not know. The most recent polls reflected no significant changes in the number of Knesset seats predicted for each of the parties. The Maariv poll found that the Zionist Union’s lead over Likud remained two seats, 25 to 23; the Joint List would win 13 seats, Yesh Atid 12, Bayit Yehudi 11, Kulanu eight, seven each for Shas and United Torah Judaism, five each for Meretz and Yisrael Beytenu, and four for Yahad. Sixteen percent of respondents said that they were still undecided.