AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): According to a poll published on Channel 12's program "Ulpan Shishi," 40 percent of participants said that if elections were held under current conditions, they would vote for one of the opposition parties, while 34 percent would choose the coalition parties. Eight percent would vote for Arab parties, 6 percent for parties outside the two main camps, and 12 percent have not yet decided.
Netanyahu's Gap with Rivals Remains Significant
In response to the question of who is most suitable for the premiership, 57 percent preferred a candidate other than Netanyahu, while 33 percent still considered Netanyahu the most suitable option, and 10 percent had no clear answer.
This gap is very clear among voters in the two political camps. Eighty percent of coalition voters consider Netanyahu the most suitable candidate for prime minister, while 15 percent prefer another candidate. In contrast, 94 percent of opposition voters prefer someone other than Netanyahu, and only 3 percent support Netanyahu.
Security and Cost of Living; A Shared Concern for Both Sides
The poll also shows that security and economic issues are the most important factors influencing voters' decisions. Eighty-eight percent of participants stated that security and addressing the cost of living and economic problems would affect their vote.
Following these two issues, maintaining societal unity came in at 77 percent, preserving democracy at 75 percent, responsibility for the October 7 failure at 70 percent, and the issue of equality in bearing military service burdens and ultra-Orthodox conscription at 67 percent.
On the security issue, the divide between the two camps is not very large, with 88 percent of coalition voters and 94 percent of opposition voters saying this issue would influence their choice. On the economy and cost of living, the figures are 86 and 94 percent, respectively.
However, on issues such as ultra-Orthodox conscription, responsibility for the October 7 failure, and preserving democracy, the political gap deepens significantly. Ninety percent of opposition voters said the ultra-Orthodox conscription issue affects their vote, while this figure among coalition voters is 49 percent.
On the issue of responsibility for the October 7 failure, 89 percent of opposition voters consider this issue influential, while this figure among coalition voters is 60 percent. Regarding preserving democracy, 91 percent of opposition voters and 63 percent of coalition voters said it is an influential factor in their electoral decision.
83% Hold Netanyahu Responsible for October 7
The most important part of this poll is dedicated to assessing Benjamin Netanyahu's responsibility for the October 7 failure. Fifty-eight percent of participants believe Netanyahu bears great responsibility for this failure, and 25 percent attribute limited responsibility to him.
In contrast, only 8 percent said Netanyahu bears no responsibility for this failure, and 9 percent stated they had no clear answer to this question.
Accordingly, a total of 83 percent of participants hold Netanyahu responsible, to a great or limited extent, for the October 7 failure.
However, there is a sharp divide in this regard between the two political camps. Among opposition voters, 91 percent believe the Prime Minister bears great responsibility for this failure, while this figure among coalition voters is only 25 percent.
Nevertheless, even among supporters of coalition parties, the majority does not completely absolve Netanyahu of responsibility. Twenty-five percent attribute great responsibility and 51 percent attribute limited responsibility to him; thus, a total of 76 percent of coalition voters also hold Netanyahu at least partially responsible.
The results of this poll show that although security and economic issues remain shared concerns for a large portion of Zionist society, the October 7 file, ultra-Orthodox conscription, and the democracy issue could become some of the most important points of political confrontation on the eve of the elections, elections in which Netanyahu's standing and his degree of responsibility for the October 7 failure will remain among the most important issues for voters to judge.
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