A majority of Israelis believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must face justice without further delays, while more than half also call for National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to step down.
A majority of Israelis support a recent court ruling rejecting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone his testimony in an ongoing corruption case, according to a new public opinion poll released Saturday.
The poll, conducted by the Lazar Research Institute and published in the Israeli newspaper Maariv, found that 56% of Israelis view the court’s decision as justified.
Only 29% of respondents said the judges were wrong, arguing that Netanyahu should not be required to testify during such a critical time. Meanwhile, 15% of those surveyed were undecided.
The Jerusalem District Court had turned down Netanyahu’s request in late November to delay his testimony, originally scheduled for December 2, by an additional 15 days.
Netanyahu testimony in corruption trials to start Tuesday in Tel Aviv, judges rulehttps://t.co/Qjqi4xr1S0
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) December 4, 2024
This followed the court’s earlier rejection in November of a 2.5-month postponement.
Netanyahu, who has been on trial since May 2020, faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Israeli law does not require him to resign unless convicted by the Supreme Court, a process that could take months.
Critics argue that Netanyahu is leveraging the ongoing war in Gaza to delay his trial, accusing him of rejecting peace efforts to avoid facing justice.
Ben-Gvir’s Resignation
The poll also revealed that 53% of respondents believe Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir should step down, citing criminal allegations involving some of his close police associates.
Only 33% believed he should remain in his position, and 14% were undecided.
Among voters from the ruling coalition, 73% supported Ben-Gvir staying in office, while 85% of opposition voters said he should resign, underscoring deep political divisions in Israel.
The calls for his resignation come amid ongoing investigations into alleged misconduct by law enforcement officials linked to him.
Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, directed police on Sunday to ban mosques from playing the adhan, or Islamic call to prayer, claiming it “disturbs” Jewish residents.
He has instructed authorities to confiscate loudspeakers and fine mosques for… pic.twitter.com/0ECqIPnhJ6
— Justice For All (@JFAorg) December 2, 2024
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 44,612 Palestinians have been killed, and 105,834 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
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Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(PC, Anadolu)
