Poll Finds Majority Say Netanyahu Should Not Run Again

About four months before the election, a Channel 12 News poll found that most Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should not run in the coming vote. The survey showed 59% said he should not run, 33% said he should, and 8% answered “don’t know.” Even among voters in Netanyahu’s camp, 11% said he should not compete.

The poll also asked who should lead Likud after Netanyahu. Nir Barkat topped the list with 18%, followed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin with 9%, Defense Minister Israel Katz with 7%, and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana with 6%. Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen received 4%, while ministers Eli Cohen and former defense minister Yoav Gallant were at the bottom, with Gallant getting just 1%. Another 17% said they did not know.

Respondents were also asked to assess how public figures handled the campaign against Iran and the agreement that was signed. Netanyahu received mostly negative ratings, with 56% saying his performance was overall bad and 37% saying it was overall good. U.S. President Donald Trump fared worse, with 68% rating his handling of the campaign and deal as bad and 25% calling it good.

On the agreement between the United States and Iran, 67% of the public said it was bad for Israel, only 9% said it was good for Israel, and 24% did not know. Among coalition voters, 67% called the deal bad for Israel, compared with 79% among opposition voters. The poll also found that 45% think Iran will succeed in obtaining nuclear weapons, while 31% think it will not and 24% were unsure. Among coalition voters, 33% expect Iran to succeed, versus 58% among opposition voters.