Survey finds majority of Jewish Israelis favors war on Iran

A huge majority of Jewish Israelis supported Israel’s recent military strikes targeting Iran’s missile systems, nuclear infrastructure, and residential areas, while most Arabs opposed the operation, a latest poll by the Israel Democracy Institute revealed.

The survey, conducted between Sunday and Tuesday among over 700 Hebrew and Arabic-speaking respondents, found that 70% of Israelis support the strikes. An additional 10% agree with the action, but they believe that the timing was wrong, while 13.5% oppose the strikes altogether.

Among Jewish respondents, 82% back the strikes, including a majority across all political affiliations. However, opinions on timing vary as only 37% of left-leaning Jews support the timing, compared to 52.5% in the centre and 80% on the right.

Among Arab Israelis, just 11% support the decision to attack Iran, with another 12.5% supporting the action but not the timing. A substantial 65% oppose the strikes entirely.

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Despite the divide, public resilience appeared strong among Jewish respondents, with 91.5% describing national fortitude during the conflict as high or fairly high. 

Among Arab respondents, only 35% feel the same. Nonetheless, 66% of Jews and 89% of Arabs expressed deep concern for their personal safety and that of their families.

When asked about launching the attack without explicit US support, 63% of Israelis approve, including 69% of Jews and 31.5% of Arabs. Among political groups, only 35.5% on the left support such unilateral action, compared to 67% in the centre and 77% on the right.

Meanwhile, 68% of Jews believed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision was based on security concerns, while 68% of Arabs and 49% of Jews on the left say it was politically motivated.

Roughly half of Israelis also support forming a unity government amid the conflict.