Poll: Israelis back IDF control over Gaza as support for Palestinian statehood hits record low

President Biden gets poor marks from Israelis regarding his Gaza war policies.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

A majority of Israeli Jews want the Gaza Strip to remain under long-term Israeli control, according to a new poll.

The survey was conducted by the Pew Research Center in face-to-face interviews of 1,001 Israeli Arabs and Jews from March 3rd to April 4th, and was published on Thursday.

According to data collected by Pew, 40% of Israelis believe Israel should govern the Gaza Strip after the current war ends, compared to 18% who prefer Palestinian Authority control over the Strip, 14% who favor self-rule by Gazans, 4% who endorsed United Nations control, 2% who back Hamas remaining in power, and 6% who back some other group ruling Gaza. Sixteen percent had no response.

Among Israeli Jews, 50% say Israel should govern the Gaza Strip after the war, versus 15% who support PA rule, 8% who prefer self-determination, 4% who back UN administration, 7% who favor another group ruling the Strip, and 0% who prefered Hamas remain in power.

Just 3% of Israeli Arabs believe Israel should remain in control of Gaza after the war.

At the same time, support for Palestinian statehood fell to its lowest level on record among Israelis, with just 19% of Israeli Jews saying they believe peaceful coexistence with a Palestinian state could be possible – down from 32% last spring and 46% in 2013.

Israelis largely disapprove of the way President Joe Biden has handled the war thus far, even before his administration halted the transfer of aerial munitions to Israel after the survey was conducted.

Just 39% of Israelis approve of the president’s handling of the war, with 60% disapproving, including 31% who strongly disapprove.

Few Israelis (19%) say the IDF has gone too far in its war against Hamas, while 34% say the army has not gone far enough, with 39% saying the military response has been “about right.”