Netanyahu wins back public support under shadow of Gaza genocide: Poll

The Cradle, May 30, 2024 —

The Israeli public is rallying behind the current premier as reports say the country’s main opposition leader is expected to bolt the current government coalition.

For the first time in a year, opinion polls show that a majority of the Israeli population would back Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election if ballots were to be held today.

A survey presented by Channel 12 News on 29 May found that 36 percent of the electorate prefers Netanyahu over opposition leader and war cabinet member Benny Gantz when asked, “Who is better suited to serve as prime minister?”

This marks a significant month-to-month surge from April, when support for Gantz stood at 35 percent, and Netanyahu lagged behind at 29 percent.

In the new survey, the current premier is also seven points ahead of opposition leader Yair Lapid and two points ahead of former prime minister Naftali Bennett.

Netanyahu’s party, Likud, also saw favorable results in the latest poll, picking up 21 of the Knesset’s 120 seats. Nevertheless, Gantz’s National Unity party edged ahead, taking 25 seats.

The Midgam Institute conducted the survey on Wednesday among 503 respondents via internet and phone, representing the entire population of Israel aged 18 and over.

The four-seat gap between the two parties is down from December’s gap of 19 seats when National Unity led Likud 37 seats to 18.

Gantz, whom the White House has tried to present as a “moderate” alternative to Netanyahu, saw his popularity steadily rise following the events of 7 October, as discontent spread in Israel over the government’s failure to recover captives held in Gaza and return tens of thousands of settlers who have fled the northern region.

However, in recent weeks, Netanyahu has seen his popularity surge as global condemnation continues to grow against Israel’s campaign of genocide in Gaza. The Israeli public also rallied behind the government in the wake of twin cases at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) targeting Israeli authorities.

Channel 12 attributed Gantz’s losses to his recent “ultimatum” to bolt the government, which caused him to shed the considerable support he had accrued after joining the emergency coalition.

The Israeli broadcaster reported on Thursday that Gantz will “likely announce” his exit from the coalition “within a few days.”

The news comes on the heels of a Haaretz report that says members of the opposition “believe the chances of finding Likud politicians willing to leave the party, thereby bringing down the government and forcing an early election, has grown in recent weeks.”

Earlier this month, Israeli media reported Netanyahu is “confident he can beat any other candidate in the country.”