Nearly three-quarters of Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should resign either now or after the war and accept responsibility for his role on October 7, according to a survey from the Israel Democracy Institute.
Forty-eight percent of respondents said they believe Netanyahu should accept responsibility and resign immediately, while a quarter answered that he should resign after the conclusion of the Israel-Hamas war. Just 10% believe he should not accept responsibility and should not resign.
When it comes to the second phase of the ceasefire-hostage deal, around 73% support continuing the deal to secure the release of all the hostages, even with its steep cost, which includes a complete cessation of hostilities, withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Addressing US President Donald Trump’s plan for the voluntary emigration of Gaza residents, 64% believe that he has “reinvigorated” the debate surrounding the war-torn enclave. There is a wide chasm between how Jews and Arabs view the plan – 73% of Jewish respondents believe it has aided in bringing about a solution for ending the war, while only 23% of Arabs agree.
Turning to the issue of the new IDF chief of staff, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, 61% believe he will be able to improve the IDF’s military abilities, while only 50% think he can mend divides between the military and political echelons.
Belief in Trump
About 50% of Israelis believe the Trump administration will not turn away from Israel, while nearly 40% believe the chances are fairly high or very high that Trump will turn away from the country if it turns out he thinks the two countries’ priorities are not aligned.
When asked about the possibility of former minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir returning to his post, 70% thought that this would be inappropriate.
The survey was prepared in late February by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research of the Israel Democracy Institute, with 605 men and women interviewed in Hebrew and 154 in Arabic and a margin of error of 3.56%.