80% Israelis want Netanyahu to take responsibility of October 7 mayhem by Hamas as PM's popularity dips

About 80 per cent of Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should “publicly” take responsibility for the Hamas’s onslaught on October 7. The poll was conducted by Maariv newspaper and was published on Friday, the fourteenth day of Israel-Hamas war. The poll result showed that 80 per cent of Israelis said Netanyahu, who has not made any public statements accepting responsibility, should follow suit of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar who have already taken such responsibility. Also Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have. As per the survey, these 80 per cent included 69 per cent of those who voted for the Likud party in 2022 Israel election. Merely, 8 per cent of the general public think he should not. Who is better suited for Israel PM post? Netanyahu’s popularity has also drastically fallen since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. It is so, as only 28 per cent of Israelis chose him as better suited prime minister, while 49 per cent chose National Unity party leader Benny Gantz. Is Israel supporting ground offensive in Gaza Strip? The survey also asked Israelis if they support a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, to which 65 per cent were in favour, while 21 per cent opposed it. Additionally, 51 per cent backed a large-scale military operation on the northern front following increasing skirmishes with Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, while 30 per cent wanted a limited operation. Who will Israel vote if Israel goes to poll today? Israelis were asked who would they vote for had elections been held today, the poll again gave abysmal grades to the current coalition — 43 seats compared to their current 64 — with Gantz’s party alone soaring to 40 seats from its current 12. The survey was conducted on October 18 and 19 by the Lazar Institute, along with Panel4All, among 510 respondents constituting a representative sample of adult Israelis. The margin of error was 4.3 per cent.