Over half of Israelis find Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be the most
suitable candidate to handle security issues, the Israel Democracy Institute
Peace Index poll found on Tuesday.
Fifty-three percent of Israeli Jews
chose Netanyahu as most equipped to handle security matters, followed by Yisrael
Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman (28%), Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett
(25%), former IDF chief of staff and Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz (22%), The Tzipi
Livni Party leader Tzipi Livni (19%), Labor leader Shelly Yacimovich (14%) and
Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid, who scored the lowest with 8%.
As for who would
best handle economic matters, Yacimovich received the most votes, from 45% of
the respondents. Netanyahu came in second place with 36%, then Lapid with 25%,
Bennett with 20%, and Livni with 19%. Liberman and Mofaz received the least
votes, with 17% and 12%, respectively.
In addition, 55% of Jewish
Israelis consider themselves right-wing, while 21% say they’re centrist and 17%
left-wing.
Half of the respondents said they would vote for secular or
religious right-wing parties, 30% for the Center and Left, and 20% were
undecided.
Two-thirds (67%) of Jewish Israelis think the peace process
with Palestinians will remain at a standstill regardless of which parties win in
the election, and half believe Israel should continue with its current policy,
even if it will bring a confrontation with the US.
However, 60% of Jewish
Israelis support a peace agreement with Palestinians based on a two-state
solution, including 100% of Meretz voters, 88% of The Tzipi Livni Party voters,
83% of Yesh Atid voters, 80% of Labor and Kadima voters, 52% of Likud voters,
32% of Bayit Yehudi voters, 13% of Shas voters and 10% of United Torah Judaism
voters.
Over half of Jewish Israelis (58%) believe Arab neighborhoods in
east Jerusalem should not be part of a Palestinian state, and 51% are against
dismantling any settlements in Judea and Samaria.
The IDI polled 601
respondents representing the adult Jewish population of Israel, with a margin of
error of 4.5%.