Jerusalem Voters on the Right Divided Over Who Should Lead Next Government

Security, religion and loyalty are the values Jerusalem residents named most often as they prepared to vote in Israel's 26th Knesset election. Opinions were sharply divided, however, over whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should stay in office.

The Jerusalem Post spoke with people at the Mahane Yehuda market and on Ben Yehuda Street, asking whom they planned to support and why. Those interviewed were chosen at random and stayed anonymous, with only their gender recorded. All of them leaned right, yet they disagreed about which party should lead.

Several voters expressed firm loyalty to Netanyahu. Two said they would vote to re-elect him, with one saying "He is a great ally to America, America is a great ally to him," and the other that "his policies are the right ones to follow."

Others were undecided and said they were leaning on relatives for guidance. A woman in Nachlaot who wants a government that "supports Torah learning" and "lower prices" said: "we love Netanyahu, but I don't understand too much politics, so I'm not sure, I have to ask my husband what exactly we are doing."

Some interviewees were openly critical of the current government. One man said he would probably back "something not in the current government," adding that he disliked part of its attitude. A woman supporting former prime minister Naftali Bennett said the people on his list "are going to do good for the country," and that he "really cares about the country and not about populism or making money for himself." Another woman in Mahane Yehuda, leaning toward Bennett, put it simply: "I just know I don't want Bibi," using Netanyahu's nickname.

Religious and security concerns pushed other voters toward parties such as Shas and the Religious Zionist Party, which interviewees described as good for religious and Haredi communities. Two people said they would vote for Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, citing shared values and, in one case, security. One man in Mahane Yehuda said he was backing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for the same reason. Many also said their rabbis advise them not to reveal their votes.

Most of those interviewed said they would support parties in the current coalition and wanted a right-wing government rather than a unity one. "For sure we want right wing," said a woman in Nachlaot.

The national picture looks tighter. A Maariv poll by Lazar Research, published Friday, found the gap between the coalition and opposition blocs has grown to six seats, even though the two largest parties are only two seats apart. The coalition bloc lost three seats compared with the previous week's poll. A bloc needs 61 of the Knesset's 120 seats to govern, and shifts among right-wing parties could decide whether the coalition reaches that mark. Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot is reported to be ahead of Netanyahu.

The poll also showed 60% of Israelis would prefer a unity government if the election produces no clear result. The share of people certain to vote rose to 81%, which points to higher turnout than in 2022, when it was 71%. In that election, Likud took about 23% of the vote, Yesh Atid about 17.79% and the Religious Zionist Party 10.84%, according to the Knesset website.