69% of Israelis support Schalit deal, survey reveals

A majority of the public supports the deal signed with Hamas to return Gilad Schalit in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, a Channel 10 survey released on Friday revealed.

The survey, carried out by Channel 10 and the Midgam Project, found that 69 percent of Israelis support the deal for Schalit. Of those surveyed, 26% said they oppose the deal.

'Hamas refuses to abandon policy of IDF kidnappings'

Background: In book, PM warned not to release terrorists

The participants said they support the deal despite that a majority of them, 62%, answered they believe Israel’s security situation will worsen as a result of the release of the 1,027 prisoners. According to the survey, 32% of Israelis do not expect a change in the security situation.

While survey participants largely expressed support for the deal, many voiced doubt of the purity of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s motives in making the agreement with Hamas.

Just 22% said Netanyahu agreed to the swap because he believes it is good for Israel.

Public pressure to free Schalit caused Netanyahu to make the deal, in the opinion of 35% of participants. An additional 35% said he made the deal with Hamas out of political considerations, such as weakening Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas or deflecting public attention from social-justice protests.