Poll: Most Israelis don’t believe Netanyahu’s claim that he knew nothing about aides’ ties to Qatar

Asked who is better suited to serve as prime minister, 38% of respondents said Benjamin Netanyahu, compared to 27% who said Opposition chair Yair Lapid, and 31% who said neither of them, according to a poll aired on Channel 12.

When Netanyahu was polled against National Unity chair Benny Gantz, the former received 36%, compared to the latter, who received 24% — a further drop for Gantz, who once polled ahead of Netanyahu and Lapid. Thirty-six percent of respondents said neither Netanyahu nor Gantz is suited to serve as premier.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett is the only politician polled who performed better than Netanyahu in a head-to-head matchup, receiving 40%, compared to the current premier’s 35%, while 22% of respondents said neither of them is suited for the position. The 40% figure for Bennett appears to be the highest yet.

Asked who should lead the center-left camp in the next election, 24% of respondents said Gantz’s deputy Gadi Eisenkot, 18% said Democrats chief Yair Golan, 17% said Gantz, 15% said Lapid, 8% said Opposition Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman, 7% said someone else and 11% said they weren’t sure.

Asked if they believe Netanyahu’s claims that he knew nothing about his aides’ allegedly illicit contact with Qatar, 59% of the public said they don’t believe the premier, compared to 30% who do. Among coalition voters, 28% of them don’t believe him, while 58% do.