From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Poll: Over two-thirds of Israelis want elections immediately after war
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
A new poll from the Israel Democracy Institute finds that over two-thirds of Israelis (69%) believe elections should be held as soon as the war is over — 66% of Jewish Israelis and 84% of Arab Israelis.
Asked how they plan to vote, a majority said they plan to vote for the same political bloc, though many will shift parties within their bloc, particularly those who vote for left-wing parties, the survey finds.
An overwhelming majority of Jewish Israelis (91.5%) across all political orientations think the IDF is trying to obey international law and rules of war. By contrast, just under a quarter (24%) of Arab Israelis say the same.
Two-thirds of Israelis think that the government does not have a clear plan of action for the day after the war, the survey shows.
Amid mass international protests and public criticism against Israel for its conduct in the war, 62% of Jewish Israelis think this is due to antisemitism and hatred of Israel, while only 7.5% think civilian casualties and destruction in Gaza is the reason, the survey finds.
Twenty-two percent say both are equal drivers. In contrast, only 10.5% of Arab Israelis attribute the criticism to antisemitism; 52% to civilian casualties and destruction in Gaza, and 11% to both equally.
