Netanyahu’s Likud Rises in Polls after Release of US Peace Plan

According to the first polls published after the release of the Trump Administration’s plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud party is gaining ground ahead the March 2 Israeli election. Three separate surveys commissioned by Israeli television channels showed the Likud inching to one or two seats behind its main rival, the centrist Blue and White list, a huge jump from recent polls that found a gap of up to six mandates. In September’s inconclusive vote, Blue and White, led by former military chief of staff Benny Gantz, garnered 33 seats to the Likud’s 32. Currently, they are polling at 34-35 seats and 33-34 seats, respectively, with Blue and White coming out on top in each survey. Nevertheless, the polls predicted that the general political gridlock that has engulfed Israel for over a year would continue. Neither Netanyahu’s right-wing and ultra-Orthodox bloc, nor Gantz and his center-left allies, are forecasted to be in a clear position to form a 61-member majority coalition come the day after the election. Notably, the polls were conducted a day after Netanyahu was officially indicted in three criminal cases, perhaps suggesting that the electorate’s more immediate focus is on the prime minister’s effort to push through legislation to annex portions of the West Bank.