Israelis overwhelmingly believe that Iran emerged stronger from the Middle East war and its subsequent deal with the United States, a poll released on Sunday found.
The poll of 3,644 respondents, conducted between June 17 and 20 by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in collaboration with the Agam Institute, paints a stark picture of public sentiment following the US-Iran deal.
Of those surveyed, 92.1% said Iran had won or gained more from the conflict, while 82.9% felt that Israel’s long-term security had been weakened.
The survey found that even among voters who support the right-wing bloc, the electoral base of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 93.1% believed Iran had won.
Opposition to the US-Iran agreement was widespread, with 63.2% of respondents opposing it compared with just 12.1% expressing support.
The findings pointed to a broader crisis of confidence in Israel’s leadership.
Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed, 72.5%, said they did not believe Netanyahu’s claims about the military campaign’s achievements, while 56.4% rated his management of the campaign as “failed” or “poor”.
The poll also pointed to the political price paid by Netanyahu, with support for his premiership plummeting from 40.5% in early March to 29.4% in June.
Despite this, the survey found ongoing support for military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Nearly half of respondents, 48.2%, backed renewed major military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon, even if it risked confrontation with Washington, while only 21% opposed such a move.
Negotiations to turn the temporary Iran-US agreement into a more permanent deal were to take place in Switzerland on Sunday, despite the conflict in Lebanon threatening negotiations.
Washington announced a renewed ceasefire there on Friday after Israeli troops clashed with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, with each side accusing the other of breaking the truce.
