Poll: 70% of Israelis don’t trust government, including a third of coalition voters
Majority support a deal to return all the hostages and end war, including Netanyahu’s supporters; majority also believes budget will hurt their personal finances
A majority of Israelis say that they do not trust the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a poll aired Friday on Channel 12, with most of the public also opposed to policy on the hostages and disapproving of the budget passed this week.
Asked if they trust the current Netanyahu government, 70% of respondents said they do not, compared to 27% who said they do. Even among coalition voters, just 51% said they trust the government, compared to 36% who said they do not.
When asked if they support a deal to return all the hostages in return for an end to the war, 69% said they do, compared with 21% who said they oppose it and 10% who said they don’t know. Among coalition voters, 54% said they support a deal, compared to 32% who oppose it. Among opposition voters, 86% said they support the deal, compared with 9% who said they do not.
Netanyahu’s government has long refused any suggestion of ending the war in exchange for the return of the 59 remaining hostages, saying the fighting can only end when the Hamas terror group is removed from power and can no longer pose a threat to Israel.
Of those 59 hostages, 24 are still believed to be alive.
The government also refused to hold substantive negotiations on a potential second phase of the ceasefire deal — though it had agreed to do so under the original agreement. The second phase would have seen the release of the remaining living hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The deal’s third phase envisioned the release of bodies held by both sides.
Netanyahu instead has sought to secure the release of additional hostages through an extension of phase one’s temporary ceasefire, which would allow Israel to later resume fighting against Hamas. The government argues that agreeing to end the war now in exchange for the remaining hostages would allow Hamas to remain in power. Hamas has so far refused such a deal.
On March 18, Israel renewed intensive military operations throughout Gaza, saying it would no longer grant Hamas respite if it did not continue releasing hostages.
The poll also showed widespread dissatisfaction with the budget passed this week.
Asked what impact the budget will have on Israelis’ pockets, 54% of respondents said it would harm their personal financial situation, 20% said it would not have an impact and only 7% said it would improve their standing.
Lawmakers voted 66-52 in favor of the controversial NIS 755 billion ($205 billion) spending bill, which Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich touted as containing “everything we need to win on the front and on the home front.”
However, the opposition and financial leaders have panned the budget as sectarian and ignoring the needs of the economy amid the ongoing war.
Asked what they thought the main considerations are in the distribution of funds in the budget, 66% believe “political considerations” are the main ones, and just 20% said “substantive considerations.” Among coalition voters, 45% said political considerations were central to the distribution of the budget, compared with 36% who said substantive considerations were central.
Asked who the government is more concerned with — ultra-Orthodox Israelis and other sectors affiliated with the coalition or the entire public — just 24% of respondents said the latter, with 66% of the public saying the former groups.
Opposition lawmakers have harshly criticized the government for cutting around NIS 3 billion ($814 million) across various ministries — affecting the salaries of public sector workers such as teachers and social workers while not touching funds for ultra-Orthodox educational institutions and ministries previously described as superfluous by treasury officials.
Smotrich received low marks in the poll, with 68% of respondents saying the far-right politician is doing a poor job, compared with 21% who said his functioning is good overall. Among coalition voters, 41% said he is doing a poor job while 43% said he is doing a good job.
Asked about the controversial judicial overhaul legislation that the government has been advancing, just 34% of respondents said they back it, compared to 50% who said they do not and 16% who said they weren’t sure. Among coalition voters, 62% approve of the legislation, while 82% of opposition voters who oppose it.
Critics say the legislation undermines democracy.
Despite the widespread opposition to Netanyahu’s policies, he still polled strongly compared to most of his rivals.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett is the only politician polled who performed better than current premier Benjamin Netanyahu in a head-to-head matchup. When asked who is better suited to serve as prime minister, 38% said Bennett, compared to 31% who said Netanyahu, while 24% of respondents said neither of them is suited for the position.
Bennet is currently not involved in politics, but is believed to be planning a comeback ahead of the next elections set for October 2026.
When asked to compare Netanyahu with current opposition leader and Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, 35% of respondents said Netanyahu is better suited, compared to 26% who said Lapid, and 33% who said neither of them.
When Netanyahu was polled against National Unity chair Benny Gantz, the former received 34%, compared to the latter, who received 26% — a particularly low figure for Gantz, who has long polled ahead of Lapid. Thirty-five percent of respondents said neither Netanyahu nor Gantz is suited to serve as premier.
National Unity’s No. 2 Gadi Eisenkot fared slightly better against Netanyahu, receiving 29% and dropping the “neither” category to 29%.
Polled against the left-leaning Democrats chief Yair Golan, Netanyahu received 37%, compared to the former’s 21%, while 37% said neither of them.
The head-to-head matchups are largely symbolic as Israel does not directly elect a prime minister, but vote for parties instead.
The poll did not give a margin of error or sample size.
The Times of Israel Community.