Poll: Israelis deeply divided over escalation with Hezbollah

Israeli public opinion is “deeply” divided over the ongoing war with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as well as over the impact of military action against the Gaza Strip, a new poll has revealed according to the Times of Israel.

The poll, conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute as part of its ‘October 2024- Israeli Voice Index’, showed that 46.5 per cent of Israelis believe that Israel should pursue a diplomatic agreement with Hezbollah, compared to 46 per cent of people who believe that Israel should continue fighting to put an end to the daily rocket fire in the north of the country that has driven some 60,000 settlers from their homes. Meanwhile, another 7.5 per cent of people said they don’t know what the correct approach is.

The poll results revealed differences between Israeli Jews and Arab citizens of Israel; where 54 per cent of Jews supported continued fighting in the north, compared to 6.55 per cent of Arabs. The poll also found that 38 per cent of Jews preferred to reach a ceasefire through diplomacy, compared to 88 per cent of Arabs.

Regarding the Gaza Strip, 62.5 per cent of Israeli Jews believed military aggression would reduce Hamas’s strength, while only 21 per cent of Arabs agreed. Meanwhile, 62.5 per cent of Jews and 21 percent of Arabs believed the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar would bring Israel closer to its stated goal of toppling Hamas.

Regarding Israel’s attack on Iranian military sites last month, 43.5 per cent of the respondents believed the Israeli strikes were “weaker than expected,” while 41 per cent considered the response to be appropriately strong, and only 3.5 per cent believed the response was “too strong”.

Read: Israel opposition acknowledges Hezbollah’s superior strength compared to Hamas