Two new polls show Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gaining political momentum in Israel, despite pressure from U.S. Democrats and left-wing protests within Israel to prompt new elections and a government change.
Bloomberg News reported on a recent survey by Israel’s Channel 12:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is starting to regain his popularity after struggling politically for more than a year, out-polling main rival Benny Gantz for the first time since the war against Hamas started in October.
A Channel 12 survey conducted on Wednesday of 500 voters representing a cross-section of Israeli society asked “Who is better suited to serve as prime minister?” It found 36% chose Netanyahu and 30% [main rival Benny] Gantz. The margin of error was 4.4%.
These findings were confirmed by another poll from Israel’s Channel 14, which is akin to Fox News in the United States. It found that Netanyahu’s Likud Party is gaining traction and would secure 27 seats in Israel’s 120-seat Knesset if elections were held today. Gantz’s party would only capture 19 seats. Together, right-wing parties would form a bloc of 58 seats, while left-wing parties would hold 52 seats, and Arab parties the remaining 10.
President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have attempted to push Netanyahu out, alongside left-wing groups in Israel—some of which receive funding from the U.S. government. However, the Israeli public appears to disagree.
The primary reason for Israeli support of Netanyahu is their endorsement of his policies to defeat Hamas and resist the establishment of a Palestinian state as an outcome of the war, fearing it would reward the terror attack of October 7.
