Three opinion polls conducted in Tel Aviv on Friday showed that an overwhelming majority of Israelis view the war against Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah as a failure for US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while supporting a resumption of the fighting to achieve the objectives announced at the outset.
Most respondents gave low ratings to the political leadership, in contrast to their assessment of the military leadership. On potential Knesset election results, the polls suggested the war would not save Netanyahu from losing power.
The surveys were published by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan 11 and Channel 12, while the third was jointly conducted by Maariv and the Walla news website.
In the Maariv and Walla poll, 46% said the United States and Israel had not won the war, compared with 22% who said they had, while 32% said it was too early to judge.
In the Kan 11 poll, 58% of Israelis said the United States and Israel had not won, while only 25% said they had.
Some 56% of respondents said Tel Aviv should have continued the war, while only about a quarter said the ceasefire had been the right step for Israel.
In the Channel 12 poll, only 30% said Israel and the United States had won, while 19% said Iran had won. About 40% said neither side had prevailed, and 11% said they did not know.
Asked whether they supported a ceasefire with Iran, 53% said they opposed it, compared with 30% who supported it.
Among those intending to vote for the governing coalition, 57% opposed the ceasefire and 25% supported it. Among opposition voters, 62% opposed it and 26% supported it.
Resumption of the war
Asked whether the conflict with Iran would resume, most Israelis said they believed it would, according to the Channel 12 poll.
Some 45% said the war would resume within two weeks after the ceasefire ends, while 26% said it would resume within a few months to a year.
Seven percent said it would resume after more than a year, while only 6% said it would not resume, and 16% said they did not know.
In the same poll, respondents were asked whether Israel should continue the war in Lebanon. An overwhelming majority, about 79%, said it should, while 13% said it should not.
Performance assessment
In the Maariv and Walla poll, respondents were asked about the US president’s performance in the war. Some 52% said they were satisfied, while 43% said they were not.
According to the Kan 11 poll, Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir was seen as having managed the war well, while the prime minister and his defense minister, Israel Katz, were not.
Half of the respondents said Netanyahu had not managed the war well, compared with 45% who said he had. Katz also received a low rating: 52% said his performance was poor, and 37% said it was good.
By contrast, 69% said Zamir had managed the war against Iran well, while 23% disagreed.
David Barnea, head of the Mossad, was rated positively by 57%, while 18% said he had not managed the war well.
In the Maariv poll, 46% said they were satisfied with Netanyahu, while 49% said they were not. Some 71% said they were satisfied with Zamir, 40% with Katz, and 29% with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Israeli Air Force commander Tomer Bar received the highest rating, with 77% expressing support, while only 14% said they were dissatisfied.
Election outlook
In the Channel 12 poll, respondents were asked who was best suited to serve as prime minister. The results showed Netanyahu still ahead of all rivals, though former military chief Gadi Eisenkot was narrowing the gap. In a direct contest, Netanyahu led 39% to 35%.
However, if elections were held today, all three polls indicated Netanyahu would lose power. The ruling coalition would fall from its current 68 seats to 49-51, while the opposition would win 59-61 seats, including Arab parties projected to secure 10.
