Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress helped bring about a modest boost for his Likud party, according to polls sponsored by channels 2 and 10 that were broadcast Wednesday night.
Hopes in Likud for a major gain and in the Zionist Union for no change at all were both quashed according to the polls.
A Dialog poll on Channel 10 found that Likud had gained two seats and that it was now tied for the lead with the Zionist Union at 24 mandates. When the poll asked who is fit to be prime minister, nine percent more said Netanyahu, than Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog, a gain of four percent since last week.
A Midgam poll on Channel 2 had Likud gaining one seat and remaining one mandate behind the Zionist Union, 24 to 23. In that poll, the Center-Right bloc lost two seats in one week to the Center-Left. On the question of who is fit to be prime minister, the Midgam poll gave Netanyahu a large advantage, 47-28%.
Likud officials declared cautious optimism after the polls but said their own in-depth study of public opinion following the speech to Congress would not be completed until Friday.
"We just need to hope that in last two weeks before the election, the focus of the race will be on matters of consequence, because if it is, we will contiunue to gain support," said Likud MK Yariv Levin, who served as coalition chairman for much of the outgoing Knesset.
A Zionist Union spokesman said the results of the polls indicated that the public was smart enough to see through Netanyahu's attempt to use a speech to Congress for political gain.
"Now it is clear that Netanyahu's speech has resulted in absolutely nothing," the Zionist Union spokesman said. "For a seat or two in the polls, Netanyahu harmed the state's security and its alliance with the US."
A Zionist Union spokesman denied reports that the party's number two candidate, MK Tzipi Livni, was seriously considering giving up her claim to a rotation in the Prime Minister's Office with Herzog.
According to one report, Zionist Union officials revealed that Livni lost the joint list four seats.
The Likud released a campaign video Wednesday showing the Zionist Union's camera moving leftward to show only Herzog and ignore Livni, who was sitting beside him.
A new ad by the Zionist Union that was broadcast Wednesday highlighted criticism of Netanyahu by former IDF chief of general staff Bnny Gantz.