As White House Envoy visits region, growing Israeli support for strike against Hezbollah, support for Biden peace plan
Jerusalem, Israel, 17 June 2024 – The Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) has released its monthly Israeli Society Index for June 2024. Key among the survey’s findings is the overall Israeli support for the peace plan set forth by US President Biden – with 28% precent viewing the plan as positive, and a further 32% believing the plan – while problematic – to be the best possible roadmap. The vast majority of Israeli Arabs (70%) believed the plan to be good.
On the issue of post-war control of the Gaza Strip, over a third of Israelis (37%) said they favored civilian rule by Palestinian and Arab entities with Israeli security oversight, while other less popular options included sole Israeli control (22%), Palestinian and Arab entities without Israeli security oversight (12%), and sole Palestinian control with Israeli oversight (10%).
On the issue of the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah in the north, the survey shows increased support for an immediate strike on Hezbollah, increasing from 29% in March to 36% in June. Around a quarter of Israelis (26%) continue to believe the Hezbollah threat should be addressed only after the war in Gaza had been concluded.
JPPI’s president, Professor Yedidia Stern noted: “The survey shows languishingly low trust in Israel’s leadership, and a preference for bringing an end to the conflict sooner rather than later. This suggests that Israelis feel prolonging the conflict will not likely yield better results, and a deal that sees the hostages returned home remains the priority for most. With regard to “the day after” in Gaza, Israeli support for regional involvement in managing Gaza reflects a much more positive outlook for cooperation with Israel’s moderate Arab neighbors – even while understanding that a full-blown conflict with Hezbollah remains only a matter of time.”
Notably, the survey also found a significant rise in the sense of a shared fate between Israeli and Diaspora Jews. Compared with data from previous surveys, the percentage of Israeli Jews who “strongly agree” that all Jews have a “common future” has surged. If we add those who “somewhat agree” with that sentiment, we find that eight in ten Israeli Jews see a “common future” for Israeli and Diaspora Jews.
Data collection for the Jewish People Policy Institute’s June Israeli Society Index was conducted using the index website’s panel (601 respondents from the Jewish sector, via an online survey) and the Afkar company (202 respondents from the Arab sector, approximately half online and half by phone). The data was analyzed and weighted according to political affiliation and religiosity to represent the opinions of the adult population in Israel. JPPI’s Israeli Society Index is edited by Shmuel Rosner and Noah Slepkov. Statistical consultant: Prof. David Steinberg.