Israelis are almost evenly divided about the possibility of civil war – 46% fear it, while 48% do not – according to an N12 Ulpan Shishi survey conducted by Meno Geva. The remaining 6% were unsure.The survey was carried out ahead of Tisha Be’Av, the day commemorating the destruction of the Jewish temples due to internal strife and division.Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir topped the poll as the most divisive public figure, with 70%, while just 19% see him as a unifier. He is closely followed by three other coalition members –Transport Minister Miri Regev, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and outspoken backbencher Tali Gotliv.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is regarded as divisive by 62%, and a unifier by 30%. Even among his supporters, 30% consider him divisive, while a striking 93% of his opponents believe so.Other divisive figuresFollowing Netanyahu come Dudi Amsalem, Orit Struk, Simcha Rothman, and Shas leader Arye Deri. Avigdor Lieberman, with 55% viewing him as a divider, tops the opposition list.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a key proponent of the judicial overhaul reform, comes in at 54%, followed by opposition leader Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid, with 53%. Only 36% see him as a unifier.Also included in this group is Yair Golan, the head of the Democrats, the Labor-Meretz merger party, and the leaders of the haredi factions, Yitzhak Goldknopf and Moshe Gafni.The list of unifiers is, unfortunately, much shorter. Among the politicians surveyed, only five are seen as unifiers more than as dividers. President Isaac Herzog leads, with former prime minister Naftali Bennett following with 52% of respondents, compared to 28% who see him as divisive.Also on the list of 50%+ unifiers are Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot of the National Unity Party, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.The data was collected on Thursday from a representative sample of 510 adults.