Just over half of Israelis support applying sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria – and a quarter believe Israel should take that step even if the United States does not support it, a new Israel Democracy Institute poll found on Wednesday.Annexation is supported by 50.1% of Israelis, opposed by 30.9% and 19% do not know or refused to answer. Among the half in favor of the move, 25.3% said they would only back it with the US administration’s support and 24.8% said that they would even without it.Asked about the chances that the Palestinians would react to an Israeli application of sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and parts of the West Bank with a large-scale intifada, 58.3% deemed the chances high, 28.1% low and 13.6% did not answer or admitted that they do not know.When Jewish respondents were divided into political affiliation, 77% of self-proclaimed leftists said they expected an intifada, 64% of centrists and 55% of right-wingers.More than half of the public (52.4%) said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be able to function properly as prime minister despite his ongoing criminal trial, 41% believe he cannot and 6.6% did not answer or did not know.When asked about Netanyahu’s claim that the trial is an attempt to circumvent the election and depose him, 38.9% agreed, 51.1% disagreed and 10% did not know or refused to respond.The rotation between Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz will be honored according to 41.5% of respondents, while 47.9% disagreed and 10.6% said they did not know or did not answer.Asked what issue the new government should focus on, 33.9% said economics and unemployment, 12.6% health and COVID-19, 11.5% security and foreign affairs, 11.4% welfare, 10.5% equality and social justice, 9.3% political reforms, 1.3% religion and state, 1.2% something other and 3.4% did not answer or did not know.The poll of 622 Hebrew-speaking and 149 Arabic-speaking Israelis, representing a statistical sample of the adult Israeli population, had a margin of error of +/-3.7% at a confidence level of 95%.
Half of Israelis support annexation, 25% even with no US backing - poll
A majority of those polled fear Palestinians will respond violently to Israeli unilateral annexation.
