90% of Israelis criticize IDF soldier who smashed Jesus statue in Lebanon – poll

Nine out of ten Israelis believe that the Israel Defense Forces soldier who smashed a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon was wrong, according to a new survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI).

Asked for their opinion on the incident, 90% of respondents said the soldier made a mistake, 6% said he did the right thing, and 4% did not know.

The data was collected between April 30 and May 4, 2026, for the JPPI’s monthly Israeli Society Index.

Respondents included 547 Jewish respondents and 202 Arab respondents. The data was analyzed and weighted by voting and religiosity to represent the makeup of the adult population in Israel. No margin of error was provided.

Asked why they believed the soldier was wrong, 65% of Israelis said that symbols of other religions should not be destroyed, 13% that it caused reputational damage to Israel, and 12% opposed it because it was a violation of army protocol.

The survey also explored whether the Israeli public supports the introduction of civil marriage in Israel. Currently, the only Jewish weddings in Israel that are recognized by the government are conducted via the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate.

Overall, 55% of respondents said they were strongly or moderately in favor of civil marriage, and 39% were strongly or moderately opposed.

However, when asked whether they would support civil marriage if it allowed Jews and non-Jews to get married, 44% said they were in favor, and 50% said they were against.

Concerning civil marriage for same-sex couples, 49% were in favor and 45% were against.