A significant majority of the Jewish Israeli public is dissatisfied with the performance of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, according to a Smith Research poll sponsored by The Jerusalem Post to coincide with Thursday’s second anniversary of the government’s formation.
The poll of 500 adult Jewish Israelis representing a statistical sample of the population was taken Monday and Tuesday and had a margin of error of 4.5 percent.
It found that 30% of Israeli Jews considered the prime minister’s performance poor and 27% very poor. By contrast, only 11% saidNetanyahu had performed very well, and 32% said well.
About half the voters on the Right were satisfied, compared to only 21% of respondents on the Left.
Likud supporters were overwhelmingly satisfied with Netanyahu, with 82% giving him a positive review, while only 17% of Kadima backers said they were satisfied. A similar poll a year ago found that only 68% of Likud supporters were satisfied with Netanyahu then, compared to 22% of Kadima backers.
Voters describing themselves as haredi, religious or traditional were more likely to be satisfied than secular respondents to thepoll – 50%- 56% compared to 33%, respectively.
The poll also found that a significant number of Jewish Israelis held Netanyahu at least partially responsible for the lack of progress in diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians.
Asked whom they blamed for the diplomatic stalemate, 18% said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, 12% said Netanyahu, and 25% said both equally. Six percent said they blamed US President Barack Obama, 10% blamed Obama and Abbas, and 5% Netanyahu and Obama. The remaining 24% did not express and opinion.
Among Arab respondents, most blamed Netanyahu. While right-wing respondents were more likely to blame Abbas than Netanyahu for the stalemate – 34% versus 12% – among leftwingers, 26% blamed Netanyahu and just 4% Abbas.
Forty percent of left-wing respondents and only 11% of right-wingers blamed both.
Most likely to blame Obama for the lack of progress were supporters of haredi parties. Of these, 19% held Obama solely responsible and 35% partially responsible, compared to Kadima supporters, among whom only 2% blamed Obama exclusively and 17% partially.
Meanwhile, a Shvakim Panorama poll broadcast on Israel Radio on Thursday found that if elections were held today, a party led by journalist Yair Lapid would win nine seats, and one led by former Shas leader Arye Deri would pick up seven. Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s Independence party would not pass the electoral threshold.
The poll predicted 24 seats for Likud, 22 for Kadima, 17 for Israel Beiteinu, six each for Shas, Labor and United Torah Judaism, four for Habayit Hayehudi, and three each for the National Union, Meretz and the Green Party. The three Arab parties would win a total of 10 seats.
Asked who was fit to lead the Labor Party, MK Shelly Yacimovich led the way with 46% among respondents who expressed an opinion, followed by MK Isaac Herzog with 38.4%.
MK Amir Peretz, who has not announced his candidacy, trailed with 8.2%; businessman Erel Margalit had 4.2%, and Union of Local Authorities in Israel head Shlomo Buhbut 3.2%.
The poll of 506 respondents was taken Wednesday and had a margin of error of 4.4%.
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