Half of Israelis favor Gantz over Netanyahu for premiership: Survey

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - A recent Israeli public opinion poll found that only 32% of Israelis see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the most suitable figure for the premiership.

Israeli daily Maariv reported on the survey results published Friday, saying 32% of respondents “believe that Netanyahu is the most suitable for the premiership, while 47% said that the War Cabinet Member Benny Gantz is more suitable for the position."

The latest poll, conducted by Lazar Institute on a random sample of 515 Israelis, revealed that if elections were to be held that day, Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party would lose half of its current 32 seats in the Knesset, the country's parliament.

Meanwhile, the National Unity Party, led by Gantz, would obtain 40 seats compared to its current 12 seats, with the opposition securing a total of 71 against 44 held by parties supporting the government.

The daily explained that the poll showed a rise in National Unity Party seats by four, compared to the results of last week's poll.

Forming a government in Israel requires obtaining the confidence of at least 61 members of the Knesset.

Disagreements within the Israeli government are escalating between ministers supporting Netanyahu's policies on the country's onslaught on Gaza and others trying to push for a deal to ensure the return of hostages held by Palestinian group Hamas in the enclave.

Since a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, the Israeli offensive into Gaza has killed more than 28,600 people and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling this January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Despite international outcry, Israel plans a ground invasion of Rafah, which holds about 1.4 million refugees. Netanyahu says: "We will fight until complete victory and this includes a powerful action in Rafah."

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi