Israelis split on if ministers should come to Remembrance Day ceremonies - poll

According to a new poll published by the Israel Democracy Institute on Sunday, Israelis are split on whether government ministers should participate in Remembrance Day ceremonies. The majority of Israelis believe Independence Day celebrations should be toned down or cancelled.

The poll found that 48% of Jewish Israelis believe ministers should not attend ceremonies, while 42% believe they should. When split among political affiliation, 82% of left-wing voters and 60% of center voters said ministers should not attend, while 59.5% of right-wing voters said ministers should attend.

Only 33% of respondents who voted for Benny Gantz's National Unity Party believe that ministers should participate in ceremonies. 

Among Arab Israelis, 56.5% believe ministers should not attend the ceremonies.

Additionally, most Israelis (56%) said that the celebrations on Independence Day should be toned down, while 31% said they should be canceled, and 10% said they should continue as usual.

Israelis pessimistic about future of democracy, security

The poll also found that Israelis are less optimistic about the future of Israeli democracy and of national security than they were a month ago, with only 32% of Israelis optimistic about Israeli democracy and 31.5% optimistic about national security. The level of optimism is even lower than it was in the middle of last year.

Should Israel pursue a hostage deal or enter Rafah?

Most Jewish Israelis (56%) believe that reaching a hostage release deal is more important than an operation in Rafah, while 37% said they believe that an operation in Rafah is more important. Among Arab Israelis, 88.5% believe a deal is a higher priority than an operation in Rafah.

Among Jewish Israelis, responses were significantly different between political camps. A large majority of left (92.5%) and center (78%) respondents favored a hostage release deal over an operation in Rafah, while most of the right-wing respondents (55%) favored an operation in Rafah. Specifically, among Likud voters, respondents were split, with 48.5% preferring an operation in Rafah and 44% preferring a hostage release deal.

Israelis split on how Iran-Israel escalation affected strategic balance

Israelis are also split on the state of the strategic balance between Israel and Iran after the recent escalation between the two sides. Among Jewish respondents, 46% said that they believe Israel has the upper hand, while among Arab respondents, 46% believe both states are on equal footing. Only among right-wing voters did the majority of respondents say they believe Israel has the upper hand.

Who will be a better US president for Israel?

Israelis are also split on who would be the best president of the US for Israel. While overall among Jewish respondents, the largest percentage (42.5%) support former US president Donald Trump, when split between right, left, and center, the vast majority (78%) of left-wing voters support President Joe Biden while a large majority (61%) of right-wing voters support Trump.

Among Arab respondents, a large majority (68%) said that they believe either Biden or Trump will be the same for Israel.

Most Jewish Israelis believe that the protesters on college campuses in the US and Europe do not represent the opinions of most of the public of their respective countries, the poll on Sunday found. Only 18.5% of Jewish Israelis believe that they do represent the majority of their respective countries. Among Arab Israelis, 62% believe that the protesters represent the majority of their respective countries.

Additionally, respondents were asked how they feel about the sanctions issued by the US and EU against right-wing organizations and activists. Among Jewish respondents, 58.5% believe that the sanctions are unjustified, while only a third said they are justified. Meanwhile, among Arab respondents, 54% believe the sanctions are justified and a third believe they are not justified.

When split among political alignment, left-wing voters overwhelmingly (75%) believe the sanctions are justified while right-wing voters overwhelmingly believe they are not. Among center voters, 48% believe the sanctions are justified while 37% believe they aren't justified.

Meanwhile, the majority of Jewish Israelis from all political camps believe that the sanctions will not be effective in changing the operations of right-wing activists and organizations. Among Arab Israelis, 47% expect the sanctions to be effective, while 46% believe the sanctions will not be effective.

Many Israelis blame government for European push for Palestinian state

Many Israelis also believe that the government's handling of military and diplomatic affairs pushed European states to consider unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state. While 86.5% of left-wing voters and 72% of center voters believe the government's behavior pushed the decision by European states, 45% of right-wing voters did not blame the government. Among Arab Israelis, 75% said the government's behavior pushed European states to want to recognize a Palestinian state.

The IDI also asked if respondents felt there was a basis for a comparison between the Holocaust and the October 7th massacre, finding that a small majority (54%) of Jewish respondents felt that there is a basis for such a comparison. Among Arab respondents, 62% believe that there is no basis for such a comparison.