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A new Kan News poll shows Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud and Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party locked in a tie at 23 Knesset seats each, while Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad party and Yair Golan’s Democrats continue to lose support. The survey also indicates that the opposition bloc maintains an advantage over Netanyahu’s coalition.

According to the poll released Sunday evening, Likud gained one seat compared to last week’s survey, reaching 23 mandates, while Eisenkot’s Yashar climbed by two seats to match Likud at 23.

At the same time, Bennett’s Beyachad party slipped by one seat to 13, while the Democrats dropped two seats to just eight. Hadash-Ta’al, meanwhile, picked up one seat and now stands at six mandates.

Elsewhere in the poll, Otzma Yehudit remained unchanged at nine seats, as did Yisrael Beiteinu with nine. Shas and United Torah Judaism also held steady with eight seats each. Religious Zionism, however, fell by one seat and now stands at just four mandates. In addition, the joint party led by Yoaz Hendel and Chili Tropper cleared the electoral threshold with four seats.

The broader bloc picture showed little movement. Netanyahu’s coalition bloc remained at 52 seats, while the opposition led by Eisenkot stood at 57. Arab parties collectively held 11 mandates.

The poll also tested a scenario in which two new right-wing parties entered the race—one headed by Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein, and another led by Ofer Winter. In that scenario, neither party crossed the electoral threshold. The Democrats gained one seat to reach nine mandates, while Otzma Yehudit fell from nine to eight.

Another scenario examined the impact of MK Yoav Segalovich joining Mansour Abbas’ Ra’am party. Even with Segalovich on its slate, Ra’am remained at five seats, and the overall balance between the political blocs did not change.

On the question of who is best suited to serve as prime minister, Netanyahu outperformed Bennett by a comfortable margin. Forty percent of respondents said Netanyahu was best suited for the job, compared with 31% who chose the Beyachad leader.

Netanyahu also led Eisenkot in the head-to-head matchup, although by a much narrower margin. The survey found 40% viewed Netanyahu as the better choice for prime minister, while 36% favored Eisenkot.

When respondents were asked to choose between Bennett and Eisenkot, the Yashar leader held a commanding advantage, receiving 37% support compared to just 15% for Bennett.

The poll also asked Israelis about a potential agreement with Hamas regarding Gaza. Forty-five percent of respondents said Israel should oppose such a deal, while 27% said Israel should support it. Another 27% said they were unsure.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration has launched a tougher immigration enforcement effort by revoking visas issued to foreign nationals arrested for driving under the influence, with State Department officials saying the policy is aimed at protecting Americans from dangerous offenders.

“The Trump Administration is keeping reckless foreign drivers off our streets by revoking visas and denying further travel to the United States,” officials wrote in a statement. “The State Department is keeping our streets safe from foreign nationals who drive impaired, disregard laws, and endanger Americans.”

Among the individuals who recently lost their visas was a foreign national arrested on multiple charges, including drunk driving, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest with violence, and domestic violence.

“Outrageous and dangerous behavior that endangers American communities will never be tolerated,” officials wrote. “Visa revoked.”

The State Department also highlighted several additional cases involving foreign nationals whose visas have been canceled.

One individual was arrested for aggravated DUI after allegedly registering a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit while a minor was riding in the vehicle. Officials emphasized that conduct placing a child’s life in danger on American roads would not be tolerated. Visa revoked.

Another foreign national was arrested after authorities determined the driver’s blood alcohol level exceeded three times the legal limit. Officials said the same individual later appeared intoxicated at a court-ordered DUI program. The department said there would be no additional opportunities for foreign visitors who jeopardize American lives. Visa revoked.

In another case, a foreign national was taken into custody for driving under the influence after allegedly causing injuries to another person. Officials said individuals who endanger Americans have no place in the United States. Visa revoked.

The State Department also revoked the visa of a foreign national arrested while allegedly driving with heroin and recording a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit. Officials said such conduct represented a blatant abuse of the privilege of entering the United States. Visa revoked.

“Under President Trump, the State Department will continue to revoke the visas of foreigners who endanger our citizens and will always put the safety of Americans first,” officials wrote.

The latest enforcement action follows another initiative led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, under which the State Department has also begun canceling visas issued to foreign nationals who have been arrested or convicted on fraud-related charges.

{Matzav.com}

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