The first political outcome of the 33 days of war has been a drastic drop in support for Kadima and Labor, according to a “Globes-Smith” poll conducted by Rafi Smith.
The survey, which was conducted just before the ceasefire went into effect, reveals that were elections held today, Kadima would win less than 20 Knesset seats (compared with 29 in the last election in February), while Labor would get 12 seats only. This result represents a marked change from the trend during the past month of war in the north, when the public expressed its support for the government and the IDF, with views that could be described as “patriotic.”
The poll also reveals that around half the public think the ceasefire will hold up for a month, while 35% think it will last no more than a week.
Only 6% of respondents think that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 is good and achieves most of Israel’s goals, and only a quarter of those polled think that this is the best agreement Israel could achieve, under the circumstances. 38% feel the agreement is not good but that there is no alternative but to accept it. In all, 66% think the agreement is not a good one.
58% of respondents feel that Israel achieved only a few of its goals, or achieved nothing at all, against 16% who thought so 11 days ago. Only 3% feel that Israel has achieved all, or most of its goals, against more than a third who thought so a week ago.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on August 14, 2006
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