Gantz overtakes Netanyahu in latest Israeli poll 45% to 38%

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
29 Mar 2024 11:15
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A Maariv poll has shown that Benny Gantz and the "State Camp" garner the majority of support among Israelis.

Israeli war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz attends a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in occupied al-Quds, occupied Palestine, on October 23, 2022. (AP)

The co-leader of the Israeli "State Camp" movement, Benny Gantz, has garnered the support of 45% of Israeli voters, overtaking the leader of the Likud Party and current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a survey published by Israeli newspaper Maariv.

Only 38% of poll takers said that they would support Netanyahu as head of the Israeli government, highlighting growing Israeli opposition to his government. Although Gantz is a minister without a portfolio of the larger coalition government and a main pillar of the five-man war cabinet, he has long been at odds with the ruling coalition.

Gantz's "State Camp" joined the coalition government just after October 7 to ensure near unanimity on decision-making within the war cabinet and halt decisions viewed as unfavorable by the party.

According to Maariv, if early elections were to be held today, the "State Camp" would take a huge leap in legislative representation, gaining 27 seats in the Israeli Knesset, while Netanyahu's Likud Party is expected to take a hit worth 13 seats.

This means that Gantz's "State Camp" movement, which includes multiple right-wing political parties, is expected to grab 33 seats, while the Likud is expected to take only 19 seats.

However, the recent departure of Gideon Sa'ar and his New Hope party from the "State Camp" might have its own impact on Gantz's accession to the premiership. In fact, Sa'ar's party constituted a third of the original "State Camp" alliance in terms of representation in the Knesset.

Nonetheless, Gantz has made a number of political moves, furthering his ambitions for the premiership in the occupying entity, the most controversial of which was an unauthorized trip he made to the United States, where he met with several top US officials.

At the same time, the co-leader of the "State Camp" has refused to meet with representatives of Ultra-Orthodox Jews and the far-right Shas Party in order to set a framework for a necessary conscription law.

It is worth noting that Gantz, like other war criminals in Israeli politics, served as the Chief of Staff of Israeli occupation forces, was the Minister of Security between 2020 and 2022, and served as an alternate Prime Minister in the Israeli occupation for around a year.