Polling suggest Israelis prefer Netanyahu as prime minister

A new poll from Israel's Channel 12 suggested that the country prefers Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister over his rival Benny Gantz, although the anti-Netanyahu bloc as a whole comes out on top.

The poll showed Gantz's political alliance ahead on 25 seats, compared to 21 seats for Netanyahu's Likud. Combined with other parties, the anti-Netanyahu bloc would have 68 members compared to 52 in the pro-Netanyahu bloc.

However, for the first time since the beginning of the fighting in Gaza, 36 percent of Israelis said they prefered Netanyahu as prime minister compared to 30 percent for Gantz.