52% of Israelis don't think Netanyahu should be offered plea bargain - poll
The poll also found that more than four times as many Israelis prefer a unity government to a third round of elections (64% compared to 15%).
By IDAN ZONSHINEPRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu. He cannot be a unifier(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
The majority of Israelis – 52% – do not think that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be offered a plea bargain in which he would admit to charges against him and retire from public life without standing trial, and 58% do not think that Netanyahu would agree to such a deal if it were offered, according to a monthly survey conducted by the Guttman Center at the Israel Democracy Institute.The poll also found that a majority of Israelis prefer a unity government as opposed to a third election within one year – 64% of Jewish Israelis prefer a unity government compared with 15% who prefer a new election, while 29% have no clear preference. Among Arab Israelis, 33% prefer a unity government, 17% prefer another election, and 50% have no clear preference.The rate of Arabs who are satisfied with the election results is higher than that of Jews (56.5% to 31%). Among the Jews, the gaps between the different political camps are very large, with voters for the Center and Left much more satisfied with the election results than are voters for the right-wing parties.The study also found that after the election, there was a rise in the rate of opposition among the Jewish public to the inclusion of Arab parties in the government and to the appointment of Arab ministers.Some 74% of Jewish Israelis oppose including Arab parties in the government or appointing an Arab minister, up significantly from January when opposition stood at 49%. Among Arab Israelis, support for inclusion in the government has declined to 66%, down from 76% in January.
