Post-election poll shows Likud-Beitenu collapse

The Panels poll found that Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid would win 30 Knesset seats, and Likud-Beitenu only 22 seats.

21 February 13 17:46, Globes' correspondent

The huge achievement of Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid ("There is a Future") and Naftali Bennett's Habayit Hayehudi ("Jewish Home) is strengthening their hand now. A new poll by Panels Ltd. published by the Knesset Channel found that if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot form a government and new elections are called Yesh Atid would become Israel's biggest political party.

Panels found that Yesh Atid would win 30 Knesset seats and and the Likud-Beitenu 22 seats. Habayit Hayehudi would win 15 seats, making it the third largest party, ahead of Labor, with 13 seats. In the 19th Knesset, Yesh Atid has 19 seats, Likud-Beitenu 31 seats, Habayit Hayehudi 12 seats, and Labor 15 seats.

The poll also found that the Arab parties would win nine seats, Shas nine seats, Meretz seven seats, United Torah Judaism six seats, Otzma Le-Yisrael three seats, and Kadima two seats.

Just after the elections on January 23, a Panels poll aired on the Knesset Channel found that Yesh Atid would win 26 Knesset seats and the Likud-Beytenu would win 23 seats. The new poll shows that Yesh Atid continues to strengthen and Likud-Beitenu continues to weaken.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 21, 2013

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