Amid the ongoing turbulence in Israel surrounding judicial reform, there are growing calls – mostly from the Opposition and liberal influencers and journalists – to have the Left enter Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in what is described as a way to save Israel from chaos through a unity government.
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These calls have been mainly directed at State Party Chairman Benny Gantz, who entered the Netanyahu government during the coronavirus pandemic. A new Israel Hayom poll that tried to gauge the scope of support for such a measure shows that a significant sector of the public would be supportive of such a development.
According to the poll, conducted by the Maagar Mochot research institute headed by Professor Yitzhak Katz, some 35% of the public prefer a national unity government, and 27% would like to see a Center-Left government in power. Only 29% prefer to have a fully right-wing government as is the case today.
Video: Anti-reform protests in Jerusalem. Credit: Yoni Rikner
Gantz's dilemma is two-pronged: On the one hand, he and his left-wing camp have been sounding the alarm that the country is headed to a calamity, but his constituency is gradually warming to the idea of entering the very government he is warning against. Returning to a position of power is what every Opposition member seeks, and Gantz would be able to claim that saved Israel from the judicial reform and the radicals that had been frightening his base.
On the other hand, Gantz has been scarred by his previous unity deal with Netanyahu and the mutual distrust is sky-high. It is very likely that if he were to enter the government, it would not be able to function properly. Netanyahu may also find a way to topple it and then enter a reelection campaign as the head of a transition government immune from a no-confidence vote, thus further eroding Gantz's support as a viable challenger to the prime minister.
Joining Netanyahu could result in Gantz's popularity plummeting just as he is thriving in the polls. Moreover, if the election ends with a hung parliament, Netanyahu will likely refuse to enter a rotating premiership agreement that has him serve second and would prefer to stay as the head of a transition government, forcing Gantz to decide whether to stay under Netanyahu or go through another campaign.
According to the poll, the public gives the government the worst grades in tackling the cost of living. Some 79% said its performance on this matter was "negative," 13% said "neutral" and only 8% gave it a "positive" mark. This was also very much prevalent among its supporters: Some 66% of Likud voters and 67% of United Torah Judaism voters gave the government a "negative" grade.
When asked about its handling of polarization in Israeli society, some 75% gave the government a negative grade, 15% "neutral" and only 10% gave it a "positive" grade. Among voters of Coalition parties, an average of 50% gave it a "negative" grade.
Some 64% said that the government's handling of the judicial reform crisis was "negative" while 13% remained neutral and 23% gave it positive marks. When drilling down the data according to party affiliation, some 44% of Likud voters, 64% of Religious Zionist Party and Otzma Yehudit voters, and 71% of Shas voters gave the government positive marks on this issue, perhaps because of the reconciliation talks under the auspices of President Isaac Herzog or because it shifted gears in the legislation by passing it piecemeal and also adding more messaging.
When asked to grade the performance of senior figures, Gantz and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi were ranked highest (40% and 45% favorable, respectively), with only 37% and 25% (respectively) giving them an unfavorable grade.
The worst approval ratings were given to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (65%), Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (64%), Netanyahu (59%), and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid (52%). Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara had 45% disapproved of her conduct, compared with 32% who approved of her performance.
When it comes to trust in state institutions, the IDF remains at the top, with 73% of people saying they have a high degree of trust in it. Some 60% said they have low trust in the government, while 57% said the same of the Knesset, and 47% of the Israel Police
Some 40% said they have low trust in the Supreme Court, while 35% said they have high trust in it. The court's worst rating is among Coalition voters, with 79% of the Religious Zionist Party voters saying they have low trust in it, as did 74% of United Torah Judaism, 73% of Shas voters, and 54% of Likud voters. Among Opposition voters, the opposite trend emerged: Some 74% of Labor voters said they have high trust in it, as well as 68% of Yesh Atid voters and 64% of State Party voters.
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