After Year in Office, Netanyahu’s Coalition Seen Weakened

Local Editor

A year after Benjamin Netanyahu was reelected as prime minister of the "Israeli" entity, a survey said Friday that if elections were held now his right-wing coalition would lose its mandate to rule.

A poll by the Panels Research organization for the Jerusalem Post and Hebrew daily Maariv said that the coalition, which currently commands just a one-seat majority in the Zionist 120-member parliament, would slip to 57 seats.

Under the "Israeli" occupation's electoral system, the prime minister is not the head of the party that gains the most seats but whoever can build a coalition commanding a majority.

Besides, the survey indicated that 46 percent of respondents believed that Netanyahu, now serving an unprecedented fourth term as "Israeli" premier, was replaceable although there was no clear consensus on the best candidate.

His closest challenger was Yair Lapid, a centrist fired as finance minister in Netanyahu's previous government who joined the opposition in the wake of the March 2015 general election.

He trailed in a head-to-head poll with the premier, with 36 percent support versus 47 percent for Netanyahu.

Netanyahu has been prime minister since 2009 and served a previous term between 1996 and 1999, giving him a cumulative 10 years in office.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team