A new poll has found that two-thirds of Israelis think that the United States is currently calling the shots in Gaza operations.
The new survey, conducted by Israeli Channel 12, was released Friday evening. It found that 67 percent of respondents think the US is the main decision-maker when it comes to Israeli policy and the Israeli army actions in the Gaza Strip.
Just 24% said ‘Israel’ is the one calling the shots, while 9% were unsure, the poll found.
It also asked whether Israel has effectively become a “client state” of the US.
Nearly seven in ten respondents (69%) agreed with the characterization, including 23% who said they “strongly agree,” while only 25% disagreed.
Divided Israelis
Beyond the US-Israel power dynamic, the poll conducted with the Midgam Institute also painted a picture of an Israeli public that is deeply divided on key political and social issues.
A slim majority of Israelis (51%) said they support revoking voting rights for Israelis who do not perform military service, with 32% saying they “strongly support” the idea. Forty-two percent opposed it.
Opposition voters showed overwhelming backing for the proposal (68%), while coalition supporters were more evenly split, with nearly half (49%) opposing it, the poll found, according to The Times of Israel.
The survey’s findings came amid escalating tensions over military draft exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox Jews. On Thursday, some 200,000 Haredi Israelis jammed the entrance to occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem) for what organizers called a “million man” protest against conscription.
Source: Israeli media (edited by Al-Manar)
