i24NEWS poll: Half of Israelis support broad national unity gov't
An i24NEWS poll finds broad support for a national unity government after the next election, but most Israelis remain unwilling to accept a prime minister from the opposing political camp
A new poll suggests that while Israelis overwhelmingly favor a broad national unity government after the next election, deep political divisions remain over who should lead it.
According to the survey conducted by Direct Polls for i24NEWS, 50% of respondents said they would prefer a broad national unity government to be formed immediately after the election. By comparison, 23% favored a narrow right-wing coalition with ultra-Orthodox parties, while 27% preferred a narrow center-left coalition supported by the Arab Islamist Ra'am party.
The findings indicate that the idea of a unity government enjoys broad appeal across Israel's political divide. Among those who support such a coalition, 57% identify with the current governing coalition, while 43% belong to the opposition bloc.
However, support for unity appears to fade when voters are asked who should head such a government.
Opposition voter respondents were asked whether they would accept Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leading a broad national unity government, 83% said no, while only 14% said they would accept him because forming a broad government is more important than any individual leader. Three percent were undecided.
Similarly, when coalition voters were asked whether they would accept Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister as part of a unity government, 70% rejected the idea, while 22% said they would support it in the interest of national unity. Eight percent said they did not know.
The poll highlights a central contradiction in Israeli public opinion: while many voters say they want a broad coalition capable of bridging political divides, most remain unwilling to accept the opposing camp's leader as prime minister.
The survey follows renewed discussion of a national unity government after recent remarks by Netanyahu revived the issue in Israel's political debate. The results suggest that although public demand for political stability is strong, personal and partisan divisions continue to pose a major obstacle to forming such a coalition.