A new poll by Israeli private broadcaster Channel 12 shows former military chief Gadi Eisenkot pulling ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time as a preferred candidate to lead Israel's next government, with Eisenkot drawing 38% support compared to Netanyahu's 35%. Eisenkot's centrist opposition party, Yishar, is also projected to win 19 seats in the Knesset (Israel's parliament) — two more than in the previous survey — as Netanyahu faces mounting pressure from coalition fractures, including a dispute with ultra-Orthodox Haredi parties over controversial military conscription exemptions. Israel's current Knesset term expires in October, with elections expected in mid-September or late October 2026; the parliament has already passed a first reading of a bill to dissolve itself, though two further readings are required under Israeli law before it takes effect.