Amid the political and security developments of the past week, which began with the horrific massacre of 12 children in Majdal Shams, followed by dramatic assassinations in Beirut and Tehran, and the uncertainty regarding Hezbollah and Iran's response, the impact of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress in Washington is fading.
According to a Maariv poll conducted by Lazar Research, headed by Dr. Menachem Lazar in collaboration with Panel4All, the Likud party has dropped by two seats in the Knesset.
The other fluctuations in the poll are within a margin of one seat, resulting in a strengthening of the opposition by one seat to 58, compared to 52 for the coalition parties, while the Arab factions remain with 10 seats.
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The Maariv poll also shows that the gap in suitability for the role of prime minister between Benny Gantz (41%) and Benjamin Netanyahu (39%) has narrowed by 2%.
The poll indicates that an overwhelming majority of Israelis (69%) believe it was correct to carry out the recent assassinations in Beirut and Tehran (Israel did not claim responsibility for the assassination of Haniyeh), even if it may delay a hostage deal. 19% think it was not correct, and 12% are unsure.
The Maariv poll also reveals that most Israelis (57%) fear the disintegration of the social fabric in Israel following the arrest of reserve soldiers at the Sde Teiman base and, conversely, the break-ins to IDF bases by right-wing activists and Knesset members.
The breakdown shows that this fear is especially high among those who intend to vote for opposition parties (68%) but is also shared by 50% of coalition party voters. 33% do not fear this, and 11% have no opinion.
Additionally, about half of the respondents (46%) oppose the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, 25% support it, and 29% have no opinion.
The poll, conducted between July 31 and August 1, included 510 respondents, representing a cross-section of the adult population of Israel aged 18 and over, both Jews and Arabs. The maximum sampling error is 4.4%.