Most Israelis support Netanyahu's plan for post-war Gaza, poll finds

• Published date: 14 March 2024
• Author: AARON REICH
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The survey, conducted among both Jewish and Arab Israelis this month, focused on several topics related to the ongoing Hamas-Israel war

However, the results also showed concerns about Israel managing to achieve all the objectives of the plan, as well as the definition of "absolute victory" that Netanyahu said he wanted to achieve in Gaza.

Supporting the prime minister's "day after" plan and Saudi and UAE involvement

Netanyahu's "day after" plan, presented earlier this year, consisted of a few objectives. These included:

Continued Israeli security control over Gaza,

Establishing a security barrier in the South to stop any smuggling from Egypt,

Transferring control of Gaza to Palestinian civilians and technocrats, and

The rehabilitation of Gaza by a foreign power was agreed upon by Jerusalem.

Overall, 62% of Israelis support Netanyahu's plan, with 16% having any actual opposition.

Support for the plan was strongest among older Israelis, with 43.5% of those aged 65 and up fully backing it and 30.4% partially backing it.

In terms of who would help manage Gaza, most Israelis (58%) supported having Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates take responsibility for Gaza's civilians. This point saw widespread bipartisan support, with most right-wing and left-wing voters backing the idea.

This included 55% of Likud and Yisrael Beytenu voters, 50% of Shas, United Torah Judaism, Labor, and Meretz voters, 61% of National Unity voters, and 67% of Yesh Atid voters.

Other countries and entities proposed to help with the "day after" included the US, Egypt, Jordan, Russia, the European Union, the Palestinian Authority, or none of the above. Of these, the United States saw the strongest support among respondents, especially among Israelis in the 65 and over and the 15-24 age brackets (52.2% and 52.5% respectively). Saudi Arabia and the UAE saw the next highest levels of support.

However, while considerable agreement exists in backing Netanyahu's plan, the problem is whether that plan is possible. Less than a quarter (23%) of respondents thought that Netanyahu's plan could be fully realized.

According to a plurality (41%) of respondents, the security goals were the most feasible of the plan's objectives. However, the other objectives were seen as far less likely to be achievable.

Disagreement over "absolute victory" in Gaza

There was significantly less agreement regarding the goal of "absolute...