A majority of Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wartime decisions were motivated by his own personal interests – rather than the good of the country, a new poll has found.
Of those surveyed, 53% said Netanyahu’s personal interests were his main catalyst for driving the Israel-Hamas conflict that has been raging since October 7, according to the latest Channel 13 poll released Sunday.
Only a third of those surveyed agreed that the Israeli leader had the country’s best interests at heart with his decision, the survey found.
Spelling more bad news for the sitting prime minister, the poll also found Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party would likely be ousted if elections were held today – some three months after the war with Hamas broke out.
Netanyahu’s Likud party will only win 16 seats – down from 32 seats now, according to opinion polls.
A slim majority believes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wartime decisions were motivated by personal interests, a survey found. AP Survey found that the Likud party could gain 21 seats if it was led by Economy Minister Nir Barkat. AFP via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Minister Benny Gantz – a former centralized military chief of staff who joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet from the opposition after a surprise cross-border Hamas attack – will be the biggest winner in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
His National Unity Party would be well-placed to form a coalition with 37 seats – up from the 12 it currently holds – if elections are held soon, the survey found.
Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party will finish third with 14 seats, projections suggest.
However, if Economy Minister Nir Barkat leads the Likud party instead of Netanyahu, polls show the conservative party could win 21 seats.
Only a third of those polled agreed that the Israeli leader had the country’s best interests at heart with his decision. Reuters
Israelis last went to the polls on November 1, 2022 when Netanyahu won a historic fifth term against his main rival, Gantz.
The next election is not scheduled until Oct. 27. 2026, but many Israelis expect national elections to be held this year.
The latest poll adds to a growing number of surveys that show Netanyahu’s popularity has fallen sharply in the three months since the start of the bloody war.
Former IDF Chief of Staff Lt. General Gadi Eizekon at the funeral of First Sergeant Major Gal Meir Eisenkot on Dec. 8. 2023. Getty Images
A poll conducted earlier this month by the Israel Democracy Institute found that only 15% of Israelis want the current PM to remain in office after the war against Hamas ends.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
