Netanyahu's "painful" victory over Vinter, Bennett's phenomenal surge - and the burning of votes among the Haredim | Analysis
An i24NEWS and Direct Polls survey reveals drama in the election campaign: Netanyahu pushes Vinter below the electoral threshold, but the entire right-wing bloc weakens to 57 seats. Meanwhile, Bennett surges to 13 seats, and Haredi parties together burn about 1.5 million votes.
An i24NEWS and Direct Polls survey published this evening (Tuesday) presents a complex picture for the right-wing bloc. Benjamin Netanyahu's personal campaign against Ofer Vinter bears tactical fruit: Vinter drops for the first time below the electoral threshold with 3.1%, about 20,000 votes short of the bar. However, Direct Polls CEO Tzuriel Sharon analyzes that this is a "Pyrrhic victory" - most of the votes Vinter loses flow specifically to the center-left bloc, and the entire right-wing bloc falls to 57 seats, a figure not seen since June. On the other hand, Naftali Bennett continues an impressive streak of strengthening and reaches 13 seats, a jump of 4 seats within two weeks. The gap between him and the bloc's leader Gadi Eisenkot is still significant, but the continuous trend is a central data point. In addition, the survey points to a structural problem on the right: four Haredi parties - "HaTzibur HaHaredi," "Tzeva Shahor," "Achi," and "Noam" - together burn about 1.5 million votes. This is in addition to about 10% of the Haredi sector who voted in the previous elections and now declare they will not come to the polls. The potential damage to the right-wing bloc is estimated at several seats.