Almost 40% of Israelis think Capitol riot could occur in Israel - poll

The Darkenu movement also asked additional related questions on the topic of political assassinations in Israel.

By CODY LEVINE
Israel's Knesset (photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
Israel's Knesset
(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
A new survey conducted by the Darkenu movement (Our Way) has found that 40% of Israelis believe that supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might overrun the Knesset in the event of his loss in the upcoming election on March 23.
The survey posed the question whether respondents "...think an event such as the invasion of the Capitol by President [Donald] Trump's supporters could occur in Israel if the current Prime Minister loses the elections?"
Some 38.2% answered positively to the question, while 44.7% of respondents said such an event as the Capitol riot on January 6 could not occur. Another 17% said they were unsure.
The Darkenu movement also asked additional related questions on the topic of political assassinations in Israel. In 1995, prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by right-wing extremist Yigal Amir following months of incitement over the Oslo Accords and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
"In light of the proliferation of violent discourse in Israeli society, are you afraid of another political assassination linked to the upcoming Knesset elections?" the survey asked. 
Some 42% of respondents are concerned over another political assassination in Israel due to violent rhetoric, compared to a similar 43% who said it is unlikely, and another 15% who said that they did not know.
As the outgoing president was blocked from using major social media platforms because of allegations of incitement, Darkenu also asked respondents: "Should Facebook and Twitter accounts of Israeli leaders using these platforms for incitement be blocked?"
A majority of 62% answered yes to the question, in contrast to 23.3% who responded negatively, and 15.3% saying they did not know.
"The next political assassination is right around the corner," said Darkenu CEO Yaya Fink in response to the survey results. "Despite the political spin that came out of Balfour regarding the civil demonstrations, the Israeli public is concerned about incitement coming from those in power, which could lead to violence in the streets.
"We all have the duty to stop incitement, violence, and the delegitimization of legal institutions," he said.
The survey was conducted among a representative sample of 500 people in Israel by Panels Politics.


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