Half of Likud voters would prefer Benny Gantz as PM over third elections - survey
When the respondents were asked which solution to the current political crisis they would prefer, 53% said a national-unity government, 17.5% said elections and 13% said a minority government.
By ROSSELLA TERCATINIsrael elections:time to vote.(photo credit: REUTERS)
Almost half (48%) of Likud voters would prefer having Blue and White leader Benny Gantz as prime minister over a third round of elections, according to a survey conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) that was published on Sunday.The survey indicated that the majority of the Israeli public (62%) would approve their party joining a coalition led by Gantz. This view is shared by the vast majority of the voters who support the Center-Left camp, including Joint List voters, but also by Yisrael Beytenu voters. However, this view was held by only slightly less than half of Likud and Yamina voters, and slightly less than a third of the Shas and UTJ voters.When the respondents were asked which solution to the current political crisis they would prefer, 53% said a national-unity government, 17.5% said elections and 13% said a minority government.Overall, less than half of Israelis are optimistic about the future of the country’s democracy (43%). The percentage of pessimists was especially high among those who identify as left-wing (70%). In terms of the future of the nation’s security, however, more than half of the respondents said that they were optimistic (54.5%).The survey also found out that the Israeli public trusts US President Donald Trump far less than it used to.When asked whether they thought the country’s security was a central consideration in Trump’s foreign policy, only 36% responded affirmatively, dropping from 54% in 2017.Moreover, the majority of Israelis (55%) supports sending humanitarian aid to the Kurdish population of northern Syria, who have been suffering since Turkey launched an offensive to create a “safe zone” in the area in October, after what many have defined as a US betrayal of their former allies.Furthermore, 39% of the Jewish public said they would even support sending military aid. The percentage of the Arab respondents who would back such a measure was 24%.According to the IDI survey, Israelis are not especially concerned with environmental issues: only 35% of respondents stated that climate change should be the number one priority, while 55% said that there were more pressing issues. However, a majority (58%) said that they would back legislation prohibiting selling disposable dishes.
