Middle East Monitor / December 12, 2024
Despite overseeing what is widely considered to be a genocide in Gaza and facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes, as well as ongoing corruption charges, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strengthened his political position, according to a new poll which shows that his Likud party would increase its parliamentary representation in an election held today.
A Channel 13 News poll published yesterday reveals that Netanyahu’s coalition would win 57 seats in the 120-member Knesset, up from 55 in October, with Likud emerging as the largest party at 26 seats. The results suggest that far from weakening Netanyahu’s position, the devastating military onslaught in Gaza has consolidated his support base.
The polling data, reported by Haaretz, appears to challenge the prevalent Western narrative that Netanyahu is the primary obstacle to peace. Instead, it indicates broad Israeli public support for the military offensive in Gaza, which has killed at least 45,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded more than 106,000 others.
The survey shows Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition gaining strength while the opposition would slip to 58 seats, down from 60 in October. Key findings include:
The poll, conducted by the Maagar Mochot research institute in collaboration with Sample Project Panel and Stat-Net, surveyed 676 Israelis with a margin of error of 3.8 per cent. While Netanyahu’s coalition would still fall short of a majority, the strengthening of his position amid international condemnation of the genocide in Gaza suggests deep-rooted support within Israeli society for the current military campaign.
The results indicate that rather than facing political consequences for the unprecedented civilian casualties in Gaza and Israel becoming an international pariah under Likud, Netanyahu has instead seen his position solidify. This raises questions about the broader societal attitudes within Israel towards the ongoing assault on Gaza and the underlying motivations for what is often described as a war of annihilation against the Palestinians.
