Netanyahu is declining in a new Israeli poll, while his rival outperforms him

After more than seven months of war in the Gaza Strip, a new poll showed that Israelis’ support for former general and government member Benny Gantz exceeds that for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to a poll conducted by the Israeli Channel 12, Netanyahu's support rate is 32 per cent, and among Likud Party voters, his popularity is 35 per cent.

Gantz, Netanyahu's main political rival, is slightly more popular, with his overall approval rating at 35 per cent and popularity rising to 42 per cent among centre-left voters.

The poll also found that Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who attacked Netanyahu in a televised speech this week, received a 43 per cent approval rating from Israelis.

On the other hand, the performance of the other ministers in Netanyahu's government was poor in the poll, as the support rate for Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reached 21 per cent, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir 28 per cent, and Transportation Minister Miri Regev 27 per cent.

Opinions about Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy were also more divided according to the poll, as 46 per cent of respondents rated him positively, compared to 46 per cent negatively.

PUBLIC DISAGREEMENTS

• Recently, divisions have emerged in the Israeli government over the Gaza war.
• Galant Netanyahu publicly called for a clear strategy as army forces return to fight Hamas in areas from which they were believed to have been driven out months ago.
• Gallant has said that he would not agree to the formation of a military government running the Strip, reflecting growing concern in the security establishment that Netanyahu has no vision for who will run Gaza after the war.
• His comments also highlighted the sharp division between the two former army generals and members of the current government who belong to the centrist movement, Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, who supported Gallant's call, and the extreme right-wing nationalist religious parties led by Smotrich and Ben Gvir, which condemned the comments.
• The right-wing newspaper "Israel Hayom" wrote the editorial title of its Thursday issue: "This is no way to conduct a war," accompanied by a photo of Netanyahu and Gallant looking in different directions.