According to a Walla News poll released on Sunday, 14 Iyar, if former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Ganz were to head the Machan Tzioni party, it would receive 28 seats, making it the second largest party after Likud.

In addition, in this scenario, the party of Orli Abekasis-Levy would not enter Knesset, failing to receive enough votes to pass the minimum threshold.

Walla’s poll shows that with Ganz at the helm, the former Labor party would not fall to less than half its current size, as poll show will occur if headed by Avi Gabbai, the current party leader.

Ganz is free to enter the political arena in February 2019, as one is prohibited from entering politics immediately after leaving the military to prevent senior officers from leaving the IDF to enter Knesset. Interestingly, Maariv’s Ben Caspit reported over the weekend that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is pressuring Ganz to join Likud, to become the next Defense Minister.

He poll was conducted by Panels Politics headed by Menachem Lazar, involving 532 respondents via the internet. The poll was conducted at the end of last week; checking two different scenarios, the current situation and elections with Ganz heading Machane Tzioni.

Likud remains the largest party with 29 seats, followed by Yesh Atid with 19. Bayit Yehudi and the Arab List earn 12, and Machane Tzioni 11. Yahadut Hatorah gains with 8, Meretz and Kulanu with 7 and Yisrael Beitenu and Shas with 5. Orli Abekasis-Levy earns 4.

With Ganz heading Machane Tzioni instead of Gabbai, the results are as follows.

Likud 28

Machane Tzioni 24

Yesh Atid 15

Arab List 12

Bayit Yehudi 11

Yahadut Hatorah 8

Yisrael Beitenu 6

Meretz 6

Shas 6

Kulanu 5

Orli Abekasis-Levy does not enter Knesset

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)