More than 30% of the public believe that Netanyahu is better suited for the position of prime minister than Lapid or Gantz. And who alone can beat Netanyahu?

Thousands of demonstrators demand a hostage deal and the dismissal of the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 22, 2024. Photo: Mustafa al-Kharouf/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

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The majority of the Israeli public supports completing a deal to return the kidnapped soldiers as part of the summit talks in Qatar, including nearly half of Netanyahu’s bloc voters, according to a poll published Friday evening on Channel 12. A large majority of the public also believes that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s performance is no less than poor.

Against the backdrop of the Doha summit, which aims to discuss a deal to return the kidnapped soldiers, the majority of the public (63%) supports promoting this deal. About a quarter of those surveyed answered that they do not know, while 12% answered that they oppose a deal to return the kidnapped soldiers. More than half of the respondents (53%) who identify as right-wing said they support the deal, while only 19% oppose it. In addition, 44% of Netanyahu’s bloc voters support the deal, as do 85% of the opposition bloc.

After more than ten months of war in the north and south, 36% of the sample said Netanyahu is the most suitable for the position of prime minister, compared to 23% who said opposition leader Yair Lapid. While 36% said neither of them is suitable for the position of prime minister.

69% of Netanyahu’s bloc voters support his suitability for the position, and more than half (55%) of the respondents who identify as right-wing said he is the most suitable person for the position. In addition, 45% of the voters of the group opposing Netanyahu believe Lapid is the most suitable for the position – but 45% of the same group believe that neither of them is suitable for the position.

Compared to previous polls, Netanyahu has gained slightly more support for his suitability for the job. In polls conducted last month, Netanyahu received the support of 31% of respondents as the most suitable person for the position of prime minister, but in recent weeks there has been a slight increase in his support.

However, in the poll on Naftali Bennett, 34% of respondents believed Bennett was the most suitable person for the position, compared to 32% who preferred Netanyahu over him. In addition, 29% responded that neither of them is suitable for the position.

Even when comparing Netanyahu to the head of the State Camp, Benny Gantz, the gap between the two is not large: 33% of respondents said that Netanyahu is the most suitable person for the position of prime minister, but 28% answered in favor of Gantz. And 34% answered that neither of them is suitable.

Regarding the performance of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the majority of the public is dissatisfied with his conduct in office. Only 22% of the sample answered that his job is good, 11% answered that they did not know, while 67% answered that his job is bad. Among those who answered that his performance is bad, 41% are Netanyahu bloc voters and 53% of the respondents identify themselves as right-wing.