A majority of Israelis view the “Qatargate” affair as serious, and nearly half believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be investigated in connection with the case, according to the January 2026 Israeli Society Index released by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI).
The survey found that 61% of respondents consider the affair serious. Of those, 44% described it as “very serious, perhaps even more than what we know,” while 17% said it is “serious, even if there is some exaggeration in its portrayal.”
Another 17% said the affair is troubling but not very serious, 13% said it is not an affair at all, and 9% said they could not assess its severity.
Political affiliation played a significant role in how respondents viewed the issue. In most political identification groups, a majority defined the affair as serious. Among right-wing respondents, however, a majority said it is not particularly serious or not an affair at all.
When broken down by voting patterns in the 2022 elections, 59% of Religious Zionist Party voters said the affair is serious, compared with 26% of Likud voters.
On the question of personal responsibility, 47% of Israelis said Netanyahu should be investigated to examine his personal involvement in the affair, which is linked to his close advisers. Thirty-one percent said there is no reason to investigate him.
Another 11% said there may be involvement but argued that, given the current political, social, and legal situation, it would be better not to open another investigation, while 11% said they did not know.
Support for an investigation was highest among respondents identifying as left-wing or center. Among right-wing identifiers, a large majority said the prime minister should not be investigated in this case.
More than half of Israelis do not trust the government
The index also measured levels of trust in the government. According to the findings, 61% of Israelis said they do not trust the government, compared with 38% who said they do. One percent said they did not know. Among Arab citizens, distrust stood at 78%, compared with 56% among Jewish respondents.
JPPI noted that while there has been a slight increase in trust compared with data from the past two years, a majority of the public continues to say it does not trust the government.
“The affairs related to the prime minister should be investigated seriously and impartially,” said Jewish People Policy Institute CEO Dr. Shuki Friedman, adding that public trust remains low in light of the affair and other decisions.
The survey was conducted between December 29, 2025, and January 5, 2026, with 766 respondents. Data were collected through an online panel in the Jewish sector and a combination of online and phone surveys in the Arab sector, and were weighted to represent Israel’s adult population.