Bennett-Lapid “Together, Led by Bennett” — Polling Collection
Midas Auto-Intelligence — 2026-04-27 (Analysis Digest)
Source: 2026-04-27-bennett-lapid-polling
# Bennett-Lapid “Together, Led by Bennett” — Polling Collection
**Collection Date:** 2026-04-27 05:46 UTC
**Task Ref:** 2026-04-27-05-bennett-lapid-polling.md
**Collector:** Scout
## Summary
Former PMs Naftali Bennett (right-wing, Bennett 2026) and Yair Lapid (centrist, Yesh Atid) announced the merger of their parties into **”Together, Led by Bennett”** on April 26, 2026 (NYT, JP, AJ, Reuters, ToI, CNBC — multiple tier-1 confirmations). Lapid’s Yesh Atid (currently 24 seats) and Bennett’s party (currently polling ~21-24 seats) will run as a single list. This reunites the coalition that temporarily unseated Netanyahu in 2021.
## Poll Data Collected
### Poll 1: Channel 12 (N12 News) — Midgam Poll
– **Date:** April 23, 2026 (fieldwork)
– **Published:** April 23-24
– **Pollster:** Midgam
– **Source:** Times of Israel, CNBC
| Party | Seats |
|—|—|
| Likud | 25 |
| Bennett 2026 (pre-merger, individually) | 21 |
| Yesh Atid (pre-merger, individually) | 7 |
| Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar) | ~12-14 (per context) |
**Coalition bloc (Likud + Shas + UTJ + RZ + Otzma):** 50 seats
**Opposition bloc (Bennett+Yesh Atid+National Unity+Yisrael B.+Democrats+Yashar):** ~60+ seats
Note: This poll was conducted BEFORE the merger announcement. Bennett at 21 seats + Lapid at 7 = 28 combined, though some voters for each may defect. The merger effect is not yet captured.
### Poll 2: Maariv — Lazar Research Poll
– **Date:** ~April 23-25, 2026
– **Published:** April 26
– **Pollster:** Lazar Research / Panels Politics
– **Source:** Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, ANI News
| Party | Seats |
|—|—|
| Likud | 25 (tied at top with Bennett 2026 per JP; ToI says 24-25) |
| Bennett 2026 (pre-merger, individually) | 24 (neck and neck with Likud) |
| Yesh Atid (pre-merger, individually) | 7 |
| Yashar (Eisenkot) | 12 |
**Coalition bloc (Likud + Shas + UTJ + RZ + Otzma):** ~50 seats
**Opposition bloc (Bennett+Yesh Atid+Eisenkot+National Unity+Yisrael B.):** ~60+ seats
Note: Maariv shows Bennett at 24, Lapid at 7 — combined 31 pre-merger. Jerusalem Post analysis notes this is the poll Likud will use to argue the merged list is a “left-wing takeover.”
### Poll 3: Channel 12 — Midgam Poll (prior week)
– **Date:** ~April 16-18, 2026
– **Source:** Times of Israel (referenced as “TV poll finds coalition parties would only win 50 seats”)
| Party | Seats |
|—|—|
| Likud | 25 |
| Bennett 2026 | 21 (up 1 from prior week) |
| Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar) | ~14 |
Bennett gaining 1 seat/week trajectory noted. Coalition at 50.
### Poll 4: Channel 14 — Filber Poll (channel with Likud affiliation — treat with caution)
– **Date:** ~April 20-23, 2026
– **Source:** JP (referenced in context of Eisenkot overtaking Bennett article ~April 22)
– **Note:** Channel 14 polls managed by Shlomo Filber, who is affiliated with Likud and implicated in Case 4000 per Wikipedia. Treat with caution.
Results may show different seat allocations favorable to coalition. Not independently corroborated.
## Bloc Analysis (Pre-Merger Baseline)
| Bloc | Approx Seats | Notes |
|—|—|—|
| **Likud Coalition** (Likud + Shas + UTJ + RZ + Otzma) | 50 | Consistent across multiple polls |
| **Opposition Bloc** (includes Bennett+Yesh Atid+Yashar+National Unity+Yisrael B.) | 60+ | Enough for theoretical majority of 61 |
| **Arab Parties** (Hadash-Ta’al, Ra’am, Balad) | ~8-10 | Unaligned; could support either bloc |
| **Undecided / Uncommitted** | ~2-5 | Floating voters |
**Critical Finding:** The opposition bloc ALREADY commanded 60+ seats in pre-merger polling — theoretically enough to form a government. The merger is designed to ensure this bloc remains cohesive and doesn’t fragment due to separate lists.
## Post-Merger Considerations
1. **No post-merger polls yet** — The merger was announced ~12 hours ago. First post-merger polls expected from Channel 12 and Maariv later this week.
2. **Merger math:** Bennett (21-24) + Lapid (7) = 28-31 seats combined. Some voter defection expected from both sides. Likud will claim alliance is “left-wing.”
3. **Avigdor Lieberman** (Yisrael Beiteinu, ~9 seats) becomes the only unambiguously right-wing, non-Netanyahu opposition leader running independently. Likely beneficiary of right-wing voters who dislike the Bennett-Lapid alliance.
4. **61 seats needed.** If opposition bloc holds at 60+, 61 is achievable if Even 1-2 Arab party MKs or undecideds break for the coalition.
## Netanyahu Response / Election Call
– **No formal election call signal found.** Election is scheduled by October 27, 2026 per Wikipedia/Britannica. No snap election announcement.
– **No Netanyahu response statement found** in any tier-1 source reviewed. Likud campaign materials are expected to paint the alliance as a “left-wing takeover.”
– Likud/RZ attack lines already forming: Bennett has “drifted left,” per Likud talking points reported by JP.
## Gaps
– No Channel 13 poll data found for the post-week period
– No Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) specific monthly poll found for April
– No post-merger poll exists yet (expected within 2-3 days)
– No formal Netanyahu statement found — this is a notable omission (intentional silence?)
– No data on whether the merger holds under stress — Bennett and Lapid have a history of coalition tension (2021-2022 government)
## Source Registry
| Source | Tier | What Found | Gap? |
|—|—|—|—|
| Times of Israel | T1 | Channel 12 poll (Likud 25, Bennett 21, Lapid 7); Maariv poll (Bennett 24, Likud 24-25, Lapid 7) | Full seat breakdown for ToI article blocked by paywall; relied on snippets |
| Jerusalem Post | T1 | Maariv poll (Likud 25, Bennett 24, Lapid 7, Yashar 12); merger analysis | Analysis piece, not raw poll |
| CNBC | T1 | Channel 12 poll (Bennett 21, Likud 25, Lapid 7, coalition 50, opposition 60+) | Article blocked by paywall on fetch |
| Reuters | T1 | Merger news; opposition 60+ seats context | No new poll data, just merger coverage |
| New York Times | T1 | Merger announcement | No polling data |
| Al Jazeera | T1 | Merger news | No additional polling |
| Haaretz | T1 | Merger details | Paywalled |
| Wikipedia | T2 | Aggregate polling page; pollster methodology notes | General reference, not primary source |
| ANI News | T2 | Republishes ToI Maariv data | Secondary source |
| JFeed | T3 | Merger coverage with “New Israel” alliance naming | Unverified primary sourcing |