Israeli Public Opinion Polls: Opinion on War with Hezbollah
Note: We are presenting raw data. When available, we provide some or all of the crosstabs (i.e., breakdowns by various categories such as party ID). To analyze the data, we encourage users to read the entire study and the methodology used. Results and reliability can be affected by sample size, question wording, and question order. Context and timing may also influence responses, for example, if the survey is conducted during a war.
If a war breaks out on the northern border, do you think the IDF will win? (INSS, August 8-11, 2024)
|
Israeli Jews |
Israeli Arabs |
Total | |
|
Will win |
76% | 33% | 67% |
|
Will not/not sure |
12% | 34% | 17% |
| DK | 12% | 34% | 17% |
What do you think Israel's response should be given Hezbollah attacks? (INSS, August 8-11, 2024)
|
Israeli Jews |
Israeli Arabs |
Total | |
|
Israel should respond in limited fashion to any attack and avoid escalating the situation toward total war |
17% | 36% | 21% |
|
Israel should initiate limited military action against Hezbollah |
26% | 11% | 23% |
| Israel should initiate wide-scale military action even at the risk of igniting a regional war | 25% | 6% | 21% |
| Israel should initiate wide-scale military action, even at the risk of igniting a regional war, and should conquer and hold land in southern Lebanon | 27% | 8% | 23% |
| DK | 5% | 39% | 12% |
What effect do you think the elimination of Ismail Haniyeh and Fuad Shukr has had on Israel's general security? (INSS, August 8-11, 2024)
|
Israeli Jews |
Israeli Arabs |
Total | |
| Improved
|
44% | 15% | 38% |
|
Neither improved nor worsened |
34% | 21% | 32% |
| Worsened | 15% | 43% | 20% |
| DK | 7% | 33% | 10% |
What do you think Israel should do now on the northern front? (Israel Democracy Institute, July 30-August 4, 2024)
|
Israeli Jews |
Israeli Arabs |
Total | |
|
Respond more aggressively to Hezbollah, but refrain from striking at Lebanon’s infrastructure |
27% | 14% | 25% |
|
Launch an assault deep into Lebanon that includes striking at its infrastructure |
48% | 12% | 42% |
| Continue the fighting in the current format of focusing on Hezbollah forces | 12% | 17% | 12% |
| DK | 14% | 57% | 21% |
Do you think Israel should launch an attack on Hezbollah or strive for a political settlement in Lebanon? [Jewish Israelis] (JPPI, July 2024)
| Attack Hezbollah with full force as soon as possible | 35% |
| Finish the operation in Gaza and then attack Hezbollah with full force | 21% |
| Strive for a diplomatic settlement in Lebanon without expanding the war | 37% |
| DK | 8% |
Of the following options, which is closest to your position? [Jewish Israelis] (JPPI, July 2024)
| President Biden strongly supported Israel at the beginning of the war and still strongly supports it today | 34% |
| President Biden strongly supported Israel at the beginning of the war but supports it less today | 36% |
| President Biden strongly supported Israel at the beginning of the war but does not support it today | 13% |
| President Biden did not support Israel that much, even at the beginning of the war | 16% |
In view of what is happening on the northern border, should Israel now start a war with Hezbollah? (Maariv, June 5-6, 2024)
| Yes | 62% |
| No | 18% |
| DK | 20% |
In recent weeks, Hezbollah has fired on northern Israel. With which of the following two statements do you agree most? (Viterbi Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute, December 2023)
| Israeli Jews | Israeli Arabs | Total | |
| Israel should make every effort to avoid opening up another front, with Hezbollah in the north | 30% | 53% | 34% |
|
Israel should deal Hezbollah a heavy blow now, even at the cost of opening up another front in the north |
57% | 20% | 51% |
| Don't know/Refuse to answer | 13% | 27% | 15% |
What, in your opinion, are the chances that in the coming year a war will break out between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon?
(The Peace Index, June 2017)
|
Israeli Jews |
Israeli Arabs |
General Public |
|
| Very low chances |
10.9% |
31.4% |
14.3% |
| Moderately low chances |
41.0% |
36.4% |
40.2% |
| Moderately high chances |
30.3% |
17.1% |
28.1% |
| Very high chances |
8.0% |
6.4% |
7.7% |
| Don't know/decline to answer |
9.9% |
8.7% |
9.7% |
Do you think Israel emerged stronger from the war? (Peace Index, July 30-August 1, 2007)
| Yes | 42% |
| Status has not changed | 27% |
| Israel's regional military status as weaker | 25% |
Do you think Hezbollah emerged stronger from the war? (Peace Index, July 30-August 1, 2007)
| Yes | 44% |
| Status has not changed | 28% |
| Hezbollah's status is weaker | 19% |
L
Do you view the campaign in Lebanon as justified or unjustified? (Peace Index; April 30-May 1, 2007)
|
April 2007 |
July 2006 |
|
| Justified |
57% |
93% |
| Unjustified |
38% |
5% |
| Don't Know/No clear opinion |
5% |
2% |
Have you or one of your family members or close friends served in the war? (Peace Index, April 30-May 1, 2007)
| Yes |
60% |
Do you think the assessment of the situation in the run-up to the Lebanon War was adequate or inadequate? (Dahaf Institute, January 2, 2007)
| Adequate |
20% |
| Inadequate |
80% |
If in the end Hizbullah takes over the Lebanese Government, should Israel launch a preemptive war against the Lebanese Government headed by Hizbullah? (Israel Radio’s “Its all Talk,” December 6, 2006 )
| Yes |
38.4% |
| No |
53.4% |
| Other |
8.3% |
Do you support or oppose establishing a state investigatory committee headed by a Supreme Court justice to check the performance of the government in the war in Lebanon? (Maagar Mochot, August 29, 2006)
| Support |
64% |
| Oppose |
18% |
| Other |
18% |
Do you support or oppose the Admoni Committee to check the performance of the government in the war in Lebanon?(Maagar Mochot, August 29, 2006)
| Support |
46% |
| Oppose |
26% |
| Other |
26% |
What do you think of the protests of the reserve soldiers? (Yediot Ahronot, August 25, 2006)
| Correct move |
69% |
| Wrong |
25% |
How best should the events of the war be investigated? (Yediot Ahronot, August 25, 2006)
| Professional commission |
57% |
| State commission |
30% |
| No need |
12% |
How should the government carry out an investigation of the war in Lebanon? (Israel Radio's “Its all Talk,” August 23, 2006)
| State commission |
16.7% |
| State-judicial commission (results have legal standing |
57.8% |
| Other/don't know |
9.3% |
| Oppose all investigatory commissions |
16.3% |
Should a state investigatory commission be established to investigate the management by the state and army? (Yediot Ahronot, August 16, 2006)
| Yes |
69% |
| No |
28% |
Should Israel have agreed to the cease-fire without the return of the soldiers taken hostage? (Yediot Ahronot, August 16, 2006)
| Yes |
27% |
| No |
70% |
Who won the war?
|
Maariv, August 15, 2006 |
Israel Radio's “Another Matter,” August 16, 2006 |
Yediot Ahronot, August 16, 2006 |
|
| Hezbollah |
15% |
24% |
30% |
| Israel |
18% |
28% |
30% |
| Neither |
66% |
36% |
36% |
Should Israel have agreed to the cease-fire? (Maariv, August 15, 2006)
| Yes |
42% |
| No |
53% |
Will Israel's situation vis-a-vis Hizbullah change? (Maariv, August 15, 2006)
| Improve |
36% |
| Worsen |
27% |
| No change |
33% |
Should the IDF have entered on the ground in Southern Lebanon? (Maariv, August 15, 2006)
| Yes |
62% |
| No |
32% |
Should Israel kill Nasrallah, even at the cost of renewing the fighting? (Maariv, August 15, 2006)
| Yes |
67% |
| No |
28% |
Should an state investigatory commission be appointed to investigate the management of the war?
| Israel Radio's “Another Matter,” August 16, 2006 | Maariv, August 15, 2006 | |
| Yes |
67% |
67% |
| No |
25% |
28% |
What do you believe the final result of the war will be? (Dahaf, August 10, 2006)
| Israel will cripple Hizbullah |
37% |
| Israel will lose the war and Hizbullah will return to south Lebanon |
17% |
| Don't Know |
46% |
Do you support or oppose a broad Israeli ground operation to push Hizbullah guerrillas beyond the range of short-range rockets? (Dahaf, August 10, 2006)
| Support |
64% |
| Oppose |
36% |
Do you approve or disapprove of Olmert’s actions? (Dahaf, August 10, 2006)
| Approve |
66% |
| Disapprove |
34% |
Do you favor or oppose continuing the fighting until the goals that were set are achieved? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Favor |
79% |
| Oppose |
16.5% |
| Don't Know |
4.5% |
Do you believe the government has clear goals for the operation in Lebanon? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Yes |
57% |
| No |
34% |
| Don't Know |
9% |
Do you believe the air force attacks in Lebanon are justified or unjustified, even if they cause infrastructure destruction and suffering to the Lebanese civilian population? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Justified |
91% |
| Unjustified |
9% |
How do you assess the IDF’s combat capability? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Good |
87% |
| Bad |
9% |
| Don't Know |
4% |
Do you view the IDF’s reports from the Lebanese battlefield as credible or unreliable? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Credible |
78% |
| Unreliable |
19% |
| Don't Know |
3% |
How do you asses Hezbollah’s fighting capability? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Good |
74% |
| Poor |
17% |
| Don't Know |
9% |
Do you view Hezbollah’s accounts as reliable or unreliable? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Reliable |
12% |
| Unreliable |
82% |
| Don't Know |
6% |
Do you think Hezbollah opened the front in the north to help the Palestinians in their struggle against Israel? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Yes |
9.5% |
| No, to serve their own interests and those of Syria and Iran |
81.5% |
| Don't Know |
9% |
Do you support or oppose the stationing of an International force in Southern Lebanon to separate the sides and stop the fighting between them-as done? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Support |
71% |
| Oppose |
21% |
| Don't Know |
8% |
Do you see Israeli society as standing up well or poor so far under the burden of the campaign? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Well |
88% |
| Poor |
9% |
| Don't Know |
3% |
How do you assess the current national morale as good or bad? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Good |
55% |
| Bad |
41% |
| Don't Know |
4% |
How do you assess your sense of personal and family security? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Safe |
65% |
| Unsafe |
33% |
| Don't Know |
2% |
Do you support or oppose the public’s right to protest the war while the cannons are firing? (Peace Index; July 31- August 1, 2006)
| Support |
47% |
| Oppose |
50% |
| Don't Know |
3% |
What do you think is a solution to the crisis in the North? (Teleseker for Maariv, July 21, 2006)
| Continue fighting until Hezbollah is distanced from the border and only then negotiate a ceasefire and the return of the hostages |
90% |
| Stop the fighting now and enter into negotiations for the release of the hostages |
8% |
| Don't Know |
2% |
What is your opinion regarding the response of Israel and the IDF against Hezbollah in Lebanon? (Teleseker for Maariv, July 21, 2006)
| Correct and justified |
95% |
| Incorrect and not justified |
4% |
| Don't Know |
1% |
Are you satisfied with the performance of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert? (Teleseker for Maariv, July 21, 2006)
| Yes |
78% |
| No |
20% |
| Don't Know |
2% |
Are you for or against Ehud Olmert's convergence plan? [AL: aka "consolidation plan", retreat from most of the West Bank] ? (Maagar Mohot Survey Institute)
|
7/16/06 |
7/19/06 |
|
| For |
19% |
28% |
| Against |
52% |
50% |
| Don't know |
29% |
22% |
Do you support the way that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been handling the war? (Maagar Mohot Survey Institute, July 19, 2006)
| Support |
71% |
| Oppose |
21% |
| Don't Know |
8% |
To what extent are you satisfied with the general performance of the IDF in the current war? (Maagar Mohot Survey Institute, July 19, 2006)
| Very unsatisfied |
8% |
| Somewhat Unsatisfied |
9% |
| Middle (So-so) |
17% |
| Satisfied |
16% |
| Very satisfied |
41% |
| Don't know/other replies |
9% |
How much time do you think that the Israeli (civilian) front can bear the attacks and its damages? (Maagar Mohot Survey Institute, July 19, 2006)
| Unlimited - as much time as needed |
43% |
| A few months |
27% |
| A few weeks |
17% |
| A few days |
1% |
| Don't know/other replies |
12% |
Are you for or against the entry of IDF ground forces into Southern Lebanon? (Maagar Mohot Survey Institute, July 19, 2006)
| Special forces only |
43% |
| Large forces |
11% |
| Oppose entry of any kind of forces |
27% |
| Don't know/other replies |
19% |
Do you believe that fighting should continue with Hizbullah? (Dahaf Institute for Yedioth Ahronoth, July 18, 2006)
| Yes, until Hizbullah is completely eradicated |
58% |
| Yes, until Hizbullah pulls back from the border |
23% |
| No, stop fighting and start negotiating |
17% |
| Don't Know |
2% |
What is your opinion with the performance of Prime Minister Ehud Olmer to his response to the fighting in the north? (Dahaf Institute for Yedioth Ahronoth, July 18, 2006)
| Satisfied |
78% |
| Unsatisfied or Don't Know |
22% |
What are your opinions of Amir Peretz, the Defense minister's performance? (Dahaf Institute for Yedioth Ahronoth, July 18, 2006)
| Satisfied |
72% |
| Unsatisfied or Don't Know |
28% |
What about whether or not the military operation is justified? (Dahaf Institute for Yedioth Ahronoth, July 18, 2006)
| It is the correct path of action |
86% |
| It is a mistake |
14% |
What are your opinions of the IDF’s performance in the war? (Dahaf Institute for Yedioth Ahronoth, July 18, 2006)
| Very good |
62% |
| Fairly good |
25% |
| Fairly bad |
5% |
| Very bad |
4% |
| Don't Know |
4% |
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