Netanyahu dealt new blow by Resistance; internal support plummets
3 Min Read
A poll indicates that if elections were to happen now, Netanyahu's party seats will plunge from 64 now to 43.
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Palestinians from Gaza stand on top of a destroyed Israeli Merkava tank after taking a hit from the Resistance on October 7, 2023 (AFP)
A significant majority of Israelis believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should publicly acknowledge responsibility for the severe failures that precipitated the Resistance's Operation Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, as per a Maariv newspaper opinion poll.
Senior officials, including the Occupation Army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Security Minister Yoav Gallant, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, as well as cabinet members such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have already announced accepting responsibility for the disastrous shortcomings.
Read more: Resistance ready for months-long war, less than 10% of missiles used
According to the survey, 80 percent of Israelis believe that Netanyahu should also accept responsibility publicly, a sentiment echoed by 69 percent of those who voted for Netanyahu’s Likud party in the previous year's election. Conversely, only 8 percent of settlers oppose this move.
When respondents were questioned about their preferred choice for prime minister, 49 percent chose Benny Gantz, while only 28 percent selected Netanyahu. Furthermore, the poll revealed a preference for a full invasion of Gaza by 51 percent of participants compared to 31 percent who supported a limited attack.
In hypothetical election scenarios presented by the poll, the current coalition fared poorly, securing only 43 seats, a significant drop from their existing 64, while Gantz’s party saw a notable surge in support, snatching 40 seats up from just 12.
Read more: Axis of Resistance fully prepared if 'Israel' enters ground war: PIJ
Regarding the formation of a war cabinet, there has been criticism and resistance from opposition figures like Yair Lapid, who expressed reluctance to join the coalition unless certain far-right elements are excluded from key security-related positions. Lapid’s stance has elicited a variety of responses within his party, including that of senior member Yesh Atid, who criticized his party chief on Friday for refusing to join.
In his criticism, Lapid pointed to structural issues and extremism within the government as significant problems, making strong statements about the government’s capability to amend its failures following the October 7 attacks.
Bezalel Smotrich and Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were among the names that Lapid insisted should be gone before forming the emergency government. However, the new governmental coalition has not considered taking such a decision.
“I hope we enter. I’m doing everything so that we enter the unity government, I think we need to be there,” Yesh Atid and MK Elazar Stern told Israeli Channel 12.
Read more: Palestinian Resistance humiliated Israeli occupation: al-Mashat
Asked if Lapid was mistaken on his option, Stern replied, “Ask him, I think we need to enter,” adding that he wasn't satisfied by the party chief's answers on the matter.
The opposition leader has called the war cabinet “a structure that can’t work, it’ll just add to the mess,” because “instead of one cabinet, [there are] two cabinets that will clash," referring to both the ruling and opposing party required to take joint decisions.
