Right-of-center bloc gaining fast 12 days before Israeli vote

Less than two weeks before the Jan. 22 general election, the 120 Knesset seats divide roughly between 71 seats for the right-of-center plus religious parties bloc versus 49 for the left-of-center factions plus Arab parties, according to a new opinion poll broadcast by Kol Israel national radio Thursday.
Netanyahu’s Likud-Israel Beitenu is shown to be leveling out of its decline with the prospect of 34-35 seats.  It is followed by Labor under Shelly Yacimovitch steady at 17; Naftali Bennett’s Bayit Yehudi with 14+ ; the ultra-Orthodox Shas dropping to 9 – level with Yair Lapid’s new Future on its way up. Tzipi Livni’s Hatenua is down to 7 – matched by the second ultra-Orthodox Torah Judaism party.

The former ruling Kadima and right-wing Otzma are both down to two mandates each and battling for the threshold minimum of three. Left-wing Meretz may expect four seats while the Arab parties are stable at a total of ten.