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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is losing the war in Gaza and failing to win the larger strategic war in the Middle East, but he has once again won the support of the Israeli public.
For the first time since October 7, a majority of Israelis back Netanyahu as the best candidate to lead the Israeli government.
A new poll published on Friday showed that 42% of Israelis believe Netanyahu is the best candidate to lead a government, ahead of former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who received 40% of the vote, Anadolu Agency reported.
This is the first time that Netanyahu has won over Gantz in public opinion polls since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
Israel’s approval ratings have risen amid growing tensions with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, according to Israeli daily Maariv.
The poll was conducted by the Lazar Institute and surveyed 501 randomly selected Israelis.
The polls also reflected a recovery in support for Netanyahu’s Likud party, which became the leading party for the first time since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, surpassing Gantz’s National Unity Party.
Polls show that if the election were held today, Likud would get 22 seats in the 120-seat parliament, while Gantz’s National Unity Party would get 20 seats.
In addition, the right-wing Israel Our Home party led by Avigdor Lieberman will receive 15 seats, while the Future Party led by Yair Lapid will receive 13 seats.
However, despite Likud’s lead, neither Netanyahu’s camp nor the opposition would be able to form a government if elections were held now.
Netanyahu’s camp will win 53 seats, the opposition will win 57 seats, and Arab parties will win 10 seats.
A majority of 61 seats is needed to form a government.
The poll also showed that the escalating conflict with Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis has boosted Netanyahu’s approval ratings, Anadolu Agency reported.
Ongoing genocide
Israel has faced international condemnation as it continues its brutal offensive against Gaza in defiance of a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Israel, which is currently on trial in the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip since October 7.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 39,677 Palestinians have Killed91,645 people have been injured in the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza that began on October 7.
In addition, at least 11,000 people remain missing in the Gaza Strip, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes.
Israel said that 1,200 soldiers and civilians died in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7. Israeli media reported that many Israelis were killed by “friendly fire” that day.
Palestinian and international organizations said most of the dead and injured were women and children.
The Israeli war led to severe famine, mainly in northern Gaza, and killed many Palestinians, most of them children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the displacement of nearly 2 million people across the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely populated southern city of Rafah near the Egyptian border, the largest Palestinian exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
In the later stages of the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began to migrate from southern Gaza to central Gaza in search of safety.
(Anadolu Agency, PC)
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