Poll: 56% of public supports unity deal, only 38% think PM will honor rotation

A Channel 12 survey finds that a slight majority of the public — 56 percent — supports the unity coalition agreement inked earlier this week between the Likud and Blue and White parties, while 29% oppose the deal.

Among center-left voters, support for the deal stands at just 43% according to the survey — 24 percentage points lower than the number among center-right voters (67%).

Fifty-two percent of Israelis said that Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz compromised more to form the unity government, while just 17% said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave up more. Among voters who identified as center-left specifically, 72% said Gantz gave more. That figure dropped to 40% among center-right identifying voters.

Only 38% of respondents believe Netanyahu will honor the rotation deal requiring him to vacate the Prime Minister’s Office in 18 months in order for Gantz to take replace him. Forty-five percent of respondents said they do not believe he will do so, while 17% said they were unsure.

Sixty-eight percent of the public said that the government’s decisions vis-à-vis the pandemic have been appropriate, while 15% said they have been insufficient and 14% said they have been too extreme. At the same time, 48% of respondents said that the government’s handling of the pandemic has been “overall good” as opposed to 45% who responded that the handling has been “overall bad.”

Asked what clause in the Likud-Blue and White deal that made them most uncomfortable, 37% said it was the large number of ministers (36), 21% said it was its green-lighting of Netanyahu remaining premier despite the indictments against him, 11% said it was the deal’s allowing of Health Minister Yaakov Litzman to remain in his post, despite immense public criticism and allegations of gross misconduct, 11% said it was its authorization of costly official prime ministerial residences for Netanyahu and Gantz and 10% said they were not bothered by any aspect of the deal.