The vast majority of Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should publicly accept responsibility for the staggering failures that led to Hamas’s devastating onslaught on October 7, according to an opinion poll by the Maariv newspaper.
The chiefs of the IDF and the Shin Bet have already taken such responsibility, as have the defense minister and finance minister.
Eighty percent of Israelis say Netanyahu should follow suit, including 69% of those who voted for the premier’s Likud party in last year’s election, according to the survey. Only 8% of the general public think he should not.
Asked who is better suited to be prime minister, 49% pick National Unity party leader Benny Gantz and only 28% pick Netanyahu, with the rest undecided.
Regarding the war in Gaza, 65% of Israelis support a ground offensive in the Strip, while 21% oppose it.
Additionally, 51% back a large-scale military operation on the northern front following increasing skirmishes with Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, while 30% want a limited operation.
Asked who they would vote for had elections been held today, the poll again gives abysmal grades to the current coalition — 43 seats compared to their current 64 — with Gantz’s party soaring to 40 seats from its current 12.
The survey was conducted on October 18 and 19 by the Lazar Institute, along with Panel4All, among 510 respondents constituting a representative sample of adult Israelis. The margin of error is 4.3%.
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From the Liveblog of
Friday, October 20, 2023
