Poll: Majority of Israelis Think Tel Aviv ‘Lost’ Gaza War

Israeli protesters demand deal to release hostages (dpa)
Israeli protesters demand deal to release hostages (dpa)
TT

Poll: Majority of Israelis Think Tel Aviv ‘Lost’ Gaza War

Israeli protesters demand deal to release hostages (dpa)
Israeli protesters demand deal to release hostages (dpa)

Amid Israeli attempts to isolate the Gaza Strip, take advantage of the war in Lebanon and threaten to extend it to Iran, a majority of Israelis still believe that there is no chance of victory over Hamas.
A poll conducted by the Israeli public broadcaster KAN revealed that just 27% of Israelis believe their country has “won the war in Gaza,” while 35% think it has “lost.” The remainder, or 38% of the Israelis, said they were uncertain about their answer.
An in-depth analysis of the poll also showed that when asked about the outcome Israel achieved in the war in Gaza, uncertainty reigns among supporters of the ruling coalition parties led by Benjamin Netanyahu, who speaks of a complete and overwhelming victory.
Among coalition voters, 47% felt Israel had won.
Meanwhile 48% of opposition voters believed the country had lost.
According to the new poll, 14% of Israeli settlers said they are willing to live in settlements near the border with the Gaza Strip after the end of the war. In return, some 86% of Israeli settlers expressed their unwillingness to live in those settlements.
Additionally, 12% of Israelis reported losing a family member or close friend during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the war that Israel waged in response to the attack. Also, 36% said they know someone who died, indicating that 48% are personally connected to a casualty of the war.
Last week, a new poll by Israeli newspaper Maariv showed that a third of Israelis are considering emigrating because of the war.
The poll showed that 35% of respondents said they considered emigrating from Israel, including 24% who considered permanent emigration and 11% who considered moving away temporarily.
The poll also showed that 47% of the respondents said they “very much want” their children to live in Israel and 26% only “want” their children to live there while 21% affirmed that they do not want their children to live in Israel. Six percent of the respondents said they did not wish to answer the question.
Of those polled, the elderly, religious and ultra-Orthodox community were the most happy living in Israel. In return, Israelis aged 30-44, young couples, and voters of opposition parties were found to be most dissatisfied with living in Israel.
The polls showed that 66% of the respondents believe that Israel is a good country to live in, compared to 33% who think it is not. Also, 49% said they felt personally secure, 23% did not, and 26% said their personal security status was average.

 



EU Urges Immediate Halt to Israel-Hezbollah War

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
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EU Urges Immediate Halt to Israel-Hezbollah War

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war while on a visit to Lebanon on Sunday, as the group claimed attacks deep into Israel.  

The Israeli military said Iran-backed Hezbollah fired around 160 projectiles into Israel during the day. Some of them were intercepted but others caused damage to houses in central Israel, according to AFP images.  

A day after the health ministry said Israeli strikes on Beirut and across Lebanon killed 84 people, state media reported two strikes on Sunday on the capital's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.

Israel's military said it had attacked "headquarters" of the group "hidden within civilian structures" in south Beirut.

War between Israel and Hezbollah escalated in late September, nearly a year after the group began launching strikes in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas following that group's October 7 attack on Israel.

The conflict has killed at least 3,754 people in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the health ministry, most of them since September.  

On the Israeli side, authorities say at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians have been killed.  

Earlier this week, US special envoy Amos Hochstein said in Lebanon that a truce deal was "within our grasp" and then headed to Israel for talks with officials there.  

In the Lebanese capital, Borrell held talks with parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, who has led mediation efforts on behalf of ally Hezbollah.

"We see only one possible way ahead: an immediate ceasefire and the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701," Borrell said.  

"Lebanon is on the brink of collapse", he warned.  

Under Resolution 1701, which ended the last Hezbollah-Israel war of 2006, Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only armed forces present in the southern border area.  

The resolution also called for Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon, and reiterated earlier calls for "disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon."