Majority of Israelis don’t think Netanyahu is doing enough to release hostages

A poll has revealed that the majority of Israelis believe the Trump administration will prioritise Israel’s security interests and accelerate the end of the Gaza war and the conflict with Lebanon.

Meanwhile, a majority think Israeli political leaders are not doing enough to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

The survey, by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), was conducted between November 25 and 28 and polled 600 Jews and 150 Arabs aged 18 and above.

The poll indicates that the Israeli public is losing faith in Benjamin Netanyahu’s ability to secure a hostage release deal. 57 per cent think the country’s political leaders are not doing enough to ensure the release of those kidnapped in Gaza, marking an increase from the 48 per cent who held the same opinion in March.

The poll also found that 48 per cent believe Netanyahu cannot function in an appropriate manner as a wartime prime minister while giving testimony at his own trial in court.

A poll last Tuesday by Channel 12 News indicated that the Netanyahu bloc would fail to secure a majority of Knesset seats if elections were held today, despite the Likud’s status as the biggest party with 25 projected seats.

The survey, conducted by Midgam Consulting, projected that the current government would secure 51 seats, with opposition parties holding 69.

Asked if they thought Israel’s security would be a central consideration for President elect Trump when formulating American foreign policy, 63 per cent of respondents said yes.

The IDI said this marked a higher share than in a previous survey in 2020, when only 37 per cent of the public believed the then President-elect Biden would prioritise Israel’s security. 

Asked if they believed the President Trump’s arrival in office will accelerate the end of the war in Gaza and the conflict with Lebanon, 52 per cent agreed.

On Monday, Donald Trump issued a warning to Hamas on Truth Social, saying there will be “hell to pay” unless the hostages in Gaza are released by January 20, the date of his inauguration.

“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!” he wrote.

The IDI survey found that 37 percent supported the Lebanon cease-fire deal signed on November 27, with 32 percent opposed and 31 percent undecided.

But the answers were split depending on people’s politics. Just 20 per cent of Netanyahu’s supporters backed the ceasefire, while 50 per cent of those who voted for opposition parties were in favour.