From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
57% of Israelis think Netanyahu’s performance since October 7 has been subpar, poll finds
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
A majority of Israelis believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s performance since October 7 has been subpar, a rating significantly lower than that of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other senior officials.
According to a survey of more than 700 people carried out by the Israel Democracy Institute this month, 57 percent of the public rates Netanyahu’s performance as “poor or very poor,” while only 28% believe it is “good or excellent.” 14% assess his performance as “so-so.”
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi leads the rankings with 48% rating his performance as good and 28% as poor — followed by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (40% and 33%) and war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz (34% and 35%).
Netanyahu’s allies on the far right fare little better.
61% of respondents rate National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s performance as poor while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich comes in at 64% disapproval. They each received 26 and 18% approval, respectively.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s perceived credibility and popularity — already battered by nearly a year of fighting over his government’s controversial judicial overhaul — suffered heavily in the aftermath of October 7, when Hamas terrorists rampaged through southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages.
Netanyahu has notably avoided taking responsibility for the October 7 onslaught, unlike the defense minister and many top IDF officers.
Last November, a survey from Bar Ilan University and polling company iPanel found that less than 4% of the Jewish Israeli public believed the prime minister was a reliable source of information on the war in Gaza.
