A majority of the public supports the dismissal of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, according to a Maariv poll over the weekend.
The polling was conducted by the Lazar Research Institute, led by Dr. Menachem Lazar, in collaboration with Panel4All.
It was conducted in the wake of his Otzma Yehudit Party’s vote against the Trapped Profits Law, a vote that required Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to arrive from the hospital to the Knesset and MK Boaz Bismuth (Likud) to attend despite sitting shiva (the week-long mourning period) for his mother, to vote in favor of it.
The bill in question is the largest reform in the package of bills accompanying the 2025 budget. Its aim was to close a loophole that enabled certain companies to avoid paying taxes on profits that have not been reinvested or distributed as dividends.
The survey shows that 55% of the public believes the prime minister should dismiss Ben-Gvir due to his conduct, while 20% oppose his dismissal, and 25% expressed no opinion.
Opposition (82%) and Arab voters (67%) were more strident in favor of Ben-Gvir’s dismissal.
Conversely, among coalition voters, 45% opposed his dismissal. For Likud voters, opinions were divided: 35% supported his dismissal, 40% opposed it, and 25% remained undecided.
Regarding the crisis between Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir, 49% of the public did not express an opinion. However, among those who did, 41% backed Netanyahu’s position, compared to only 10% who supported Ben-Gvir. Among coalition voters, two-thirds sided with the prime minister’s stance.
Knesset seat projection
The situation is also reflected in the seat projection poll. The Religious Zionist Party, which was also at the center of the controversy, has risen above the electoral threshold with four seats, and Likud has gained one additional seat.
Conversely, Otzma Yehudit is weakening, dropping to a low of six seats – possibly due to Ben-Gvir’s conduct regarding the vote.
Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.