Poll: majority of Israelis do not trust military leadership

A majority of Israelis do not trust leaders of their country’s army or their politicians led by Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, a recent public opinion poll has revealed.

The poll conducted by the Jewish People Policy Institute on a sample of 816 Israelis, and excerpts of which were published by the Hebrew newspaper, Maariv, on Wednesday revealed that 55 per cent of Israelis do not trust the army’s senior leadership and that their level of trust in the government and its head, Benjamin Netanyahu, is “very low”.

According to the results only 26 per cent of respondents said they trust the government, compared to 74 per cent who said their trust in it is low or somewhat low.

“71 per cent said their confidence in Netanyahu is very low or somewhat low, compared to 27 per cent of respondents who said their confidence in him is still high or moderately high” the results showed.

On the other hand, 63 per cent of surveyed Israelis supported the Supreme Court’s decision requiring the recruitment of ultra- Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army, compared to 31 per cent who opposed it.

The poll found that 86 per cent of Israelis are very or moderately concerned about the security situation in Israel.

For months, Netanyahu has been rejecting calls for the departure of his government and holding early elections, which he claims would “paralyse the state” and freeze prisoner exchange negotiations with Palestinian factions in Gaza for a period that may reach 8 months.

Since 7 October, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, and is exchanging daily bombing with Lebanese and Palestinian factions in Lebanon.

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