Tag: polls

Support for a hostage deal

(image from Israel Democracy Institute)

The August 2025 Israeli Voice Index, conducted by the Viterbi Centre for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), asked whether Israel should agree to a deal that would include the release of all Israeli hostages, the cessation of hostilities and the complete withdrawal of the Israel Defence Forces from Gaza. Sixty-two percent of Jewish Israelis and 81% of Arab Israelis support such a deal.

Looking at political orientation among Jews, a large majority on the left (92%) and centre (77%) support such a deal, while the right is more divided, with slightly more in favour (47%) than opposed (44%). A breakdown by vote in the 2022 elections reveals a majority of supporters for this deal among voters for all opposition parties and all coalition parties, except for Religious Zionism voters.

chart - Think that Israel should agree to a deal that includes the release of all the Israeli hostages, the cessation of hostilities and the complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip (total sample, by vote in the 2022 Knesset elections; %) Military operations in Gaza

A plurality of Jewish Israelis (49%) support the decision to expand military operations in Gaza while the overwhelming majority of Arab Israelis (81.5%) oppose the decision.

“There is a substantial share of Israelis who support a hostage deal that involves a full withdrawal from Gaza while also saying they support the expansion of fighting in Gaza,” said IDI’s Prof. Tamar Hermann. “This is due to the context-specific nature of each question – many Israelis prioritize bringing the hostages home even at a great cost, but if a deal cannot be struck, they support the expansion of operations in Gaza.”

Jewish settlement in Gaza

Similar to IDI’s polling from November 2024, last month, 53% of Jewish Israelis and 86.5% of Arab Israelis oppose Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip. Most on the left (93%) and centre (77%) oppose settlement while most on the right (61%) support it. Rates of support increase in tandem with levels of religiosity, with the highest rate of support among Haredim (75%) and lowest among secular Israelis (21%).

The release of hostages

More than half of the Israeli public (53%) think that their leadership is not making every effort to secure the release of the hostages (Jews, 51.5%; Arabs, 63%). A breakdown by political orientation (Jews) shows that, on the right, as in the past, 63% think that the leadership is indeed doing everything it can. By contrast, this view is held by 28.5% in the centre and 6% on the left.

chart - Think or are certain that Israel’s leadership is making every effort to secure the release of the hostages (%)Control of Gaza after war

Similar to past measurements, a plurality of Jewish Israelis (44%) believe a multinational force should control Gaza after the war, as does 22% of Arab Israelis. Twenty-three percent of Arab Israelis believe the Palestinian Authority should control Gaza.

chart - In your opinion, who should control the Gaza Strip after the end of the war? (%)The burden of fighting

A plurality of Jewish (34%) and Arab (37%) Israelis assess that Israeli society can only bear the burden of fighting for another few months. A decreasing share of Jews think Israelis can bear the burden for as long as it takes, down from 39.5% in March 2024 to 28% today.

chart - Support the cabinet’s decision to expand military operations in the Gaza Strip and take and hold territory there, by assessment of Israeli society’s ability to bear the burden of continued fighting (total sample; %)National mood

In this latest survey, IDI found no major changes in the levels of optimism about the future, excepting a slight improvement (2% in the total sample) in the share of optimists about the future of the economy. There was a small decline in optimism about the future of security (3%), though this is within the margin of error and thus should not be taken as evidence of a new trend. As in previous surveys, in three of the four indicators (security, democracy and economy), the share of optimists is larger among Jews than among Arabs. Overall, in all four indicators and among both Jews and Arabs, less than half the public are optimistic.

The Abraham Accords

Five years after signing the Abraham Accords, 46% of Jewish Israelis say the accords met their expectations, down from 64% in 2021, one year after signing them. Among Arab Israelis, 41% say the accords met their expectations, similar to 43% in 2021, and a substantial share of Arabs (28%) say they don’t know.

Survey methodology

The survey was conducted via the internet and by telephone (to include groups that are under-represented on the internet) Aug. 24-28, 2025, with 600 men and women interviewed in Hebrew and 150 in Arabic, constituting a nationally representative sample of the adult population in Israel aged 18 and over. The maximum sampling error was ±3.58% at a confidence level of 95%. Field work was carried out by Shiluv I2R. More of the report and the full data file can be found at en.idi.org.il/articles/61601. 

– Courtesy Israel Democracy Institute

Work still left to finish

Last week, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, in conjunction with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, released the results of a community survey on antisemitism. There were, perhaps, few surprises.

Of those surveyed, 85% said that antisemitism has “increased a lot” since Oct. 7, 2023. More than 60% of respondents said they avoid displaying items that would identify them publicly as Jewish and almost two in three said they avoid particular places and events out of concern for their safety.

A public opinion poll released around the same time indicated that the often-discussed “silent majority” is on our side – most British Columbians are concerned about antisemitism. More than three-quarters of respondents to a Research Co. poll said they are concerned about “aggressive behaviour by pro-Palestinian protesters,” “protesters targeting Jewish neighbourhoods and Jewish-owned businesses” and “rising prejudice against Jewish Canadians.”

While we would appreciate if the solidarity expressed in this survey were articulated more vocally and visually, it is reassuring to know that the targeting of our community is not unnoticed or uncontested. The survey is, in any event, a rare encouraging sign.

It may seem delusional to seek rays of light amid reports of unabating antisemitism. But is one narrative of Passover not precisely to remind us that we have met and overcome suffering and subjugation in the past? When we celebrate the holiday, we are reanimating our collective experience of resistance to tyranny and oppression, the birth pangs of our peoplehood, and the victory over apathy and forgetting. An unequivocal through-line across Jewish history is resilience.

We retell the story of Exodus every year during the seder not as history but as a living, spiritual framework for Jewish identity and values.

While this is a very difficult time, it also has the capacity to bring out tenacity, determination and unity among the Jewish people.

Difficulty can also create cracks in unity. This is the night when, more than other nights, we reflect on liberation from literal or figurative slavery – in today’s situation, perhaps, freedom from violence and discrimination – and the imperative of Jews to protect and advocate for liberation. So, as we witness growing fissures in the Jewish world, let us rededicate ourselves to the project of liberation and peoplehood based on fundamental values of freedom, love, unity and community.

On Passover, we are reminded that there are pharaohs in every generation who seek to destroy and oppress. We utter the words “You shall tell your children,” because a vivid memory of the past is central to facing our present and creating our future. Every generation faces its own “Egypt.” The work of liberation is not yet finished. 

May those who are held captive in Gaza, those who are fighting to defend Israel, those experiencing violence and discrimination, or seeking freedom in any form, be redeemed.