Poll: Clear majority of Jewish Israelis back Iran strikes; most Arabs opposed

A large majority of Jewish Israelis support Israel’s strikes on Iran’s missile arrays and nuclear program, while most Arab citizens oppose it, a new survey by the Israel Democracy Institute has found.

According to the poll of over 700 Hebrew and Arabic speakers conducted on Sunday-Tuesday, 70 percent of Israelis support the ongoing strikes, 10% say they support them but the timing is wrong, and 13.5% are opposed.

Among Jews, 82% support the strikes, including a majority across political camps, and two-thirds of Jewish respondents also support the timing of the operation. Breaking it down by political leaning, only 37% of those on the left support the timing, versus 52.5% in the center and 80% on the right.

Among Arab Israelis, only 11% support the decision to launch an attack on Iran, with another 12.5% in support but opposed to the timing, and 65% opposed to the strikes.

Meanwhile, 91.5% of Jewish respondents characterize the level of public resilience and fortitude during the war with Iran so far as very high or fairly high, versus only 35% among Arabs. However, both 66% of Jews and 89% of Arabs express significant concern for their physical safety and that of their families.

Asked if it was appropriate to launch an attack, assuming that Iran’s nuclear program cannot be fully destroyed without US participation and “without an explicit American intention to participate,” 63% of Israelis say it was.

Among Jews, 69% support launching an attack without a prior American commitment, while only 31.5% of Arabs agree. On the left, only 35.5% agree, versus 67 and 77% on the center and right, respectively.

Sixty percent of Jewish Israelis believe that Israeli security is one of US President Donald Trump’s central considerations, versus 50% among Arabs. Among Jews on the left, this number drops to only 31%, compared to 57% in the center and 67% on the right.

Among Jews, 68% say they believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to launch the attack was motivated by “objective and security-related” concerns, while only 18.5% of Arabs agree. Only 28% of those on the left agree, versus half of respondents in the center and 83% on the right.

On the left, 49% say Netanyahu’s motivations were “mainly subjective and political,” a view shared by 68% of Arabs, 34% of Jews in the center and 7% on the right.

Around half of Israelis (52% of Jews and 38.5% of Arabs) believe that in light of the security situation, a unity government should be established. This view is supported by 41.5% of Jews on the left, 63.5% in the center and 50% those on the right.