Most Israelis have negative view of both Netanyahu, Gantz

Dec 8, 2020

Most Israelis have a negative view of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition partner turned potential election rival Defense Minister Benny Gantz. A poll also revealed some Arab support for working with Netanyahu.

The Israeli Democracy Institute poll published on Monday showed that 62% of Israeli respondents think Netanyahu has “very low credibility” or “moderately low credibility.” Gantz’s figures are not much better, with 60% of Israelis feeling the same about him.

Last week, Gantz, who is due to become prime minister in 2021 as per a deal with Netanyahu, said his Blue and White party is leaving the coalition and called for new elections. His beef with Netanyahu is over a budget for next year. The issue is important, given the state of the Israeli economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The process for holding a new election can take several weeks. It would be Israel’s fourth election in two years. The findings from The Israel Democracy Institute indicate both Netanyahu and Gantz face significant opposition ahead of this. The two politicians agreed to form a government together in April after Netanyahu narrowly defeated Gantz in the March election.

The poll also asked Palestinian citizens of Israel, also referred to as Arab-Israelis, about the blossoming political alliance between Arab-Israeli politician Mansour Abbas and Netanyahu.

Abbas, a Knesset member from the Joint List, which is a unified slate of predominantly Arab parties, has recently voiced a desire to cooperate with Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Forty-one percent of Arab-Israelis voiced support for Abbas’ efforts. Only 29% of Jewish Israelis polled indicated support for an Abbas-Netanyahu alliance, according to the poll.

The Joint List has traditionally remained in opposition and not joined Israeli coalition governments due to their starkly different opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This makes Abbas’ endeavors significant and unprecedented.

The survey also found a majority of people feel Israel will indeed have a new election.