Category: Knesset


Poll #1: Midgam conducted a poll that was broadcast by the Knesset Channel on December 15th 2016.

When it comes to economic and social issues has the Israeli society trended to the right, left or center?

41% Right, 27% Center, 16% Don’t know, 16% Left

What is the trend on economic and social issues in the western world?

39% Right, 23% Left, 22% Center, 16% Don’t know

Should Israel take refugees from African countries in cases where their lives are in danger or should they be arrested?

46% Arrested, 36% Refuge, 18% Don’t know

Are the isolationist inspirations of Trump in the United States and in Europe going to cause the free world to stop absorbing immigrants?

54% Yes, 24% No, 22% Don’t know

Does immigration of Muslims and Africans to Europe contribute to the isolationist policies of preventing free immigration to the free world?

63% Yes, 37% No

Do racist tendencies that have always existed contribute to the isolationist policies of preventing free immigration to the free world?

69% No, 31% Yes

Does the bad economic situation in Europe contribute to the isolationist policies of preventing free immigration to the free world?

70% No, 30% Yes

Does the fall of the Soviet Union and immigration from Eastern Europe contribute to the isolationist policies of preventing free immigration to the free world?

95% No, 5% Yes

Are you worried that the inclination towards isolationism and the right-wing trend in the world will lead to an increase in antisemitism?

61% Yes, 26% No, 13% Don’t know

Could the inclination towards isolationism of President-elect Donald Trump lead him to reduce the aid that has been given to Israel during the last few terms of the previous United States Presidents?

59% No, 23% Yes, 18% Don’t know

Could the inclination towards isolationism of President-elect Donald Trump lead him to harm the economic relations between the United States and China?

43% No, 36% Yes, 21% Don’t know

Could the inclination towards isolationism of President-elect Donald Trump lead him to harm the diplomatic relations between the United States and China?

41% No, 33% Don’t know, 26% Yes

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Poll #2:  Panels conducted a poll that was broadcast by the Knesset Channel on December 12th 2016.

Of the following candidates who is most appropriate to lead the Zionist Union?

All voters: 37% Don’t know, 26% Yachimovich, 16% Ashkenazi, 9% Livni, 7% Herzog, 5% Margalit

Center-Left voters: 27% Yachimovich, 24% Don’t know, 16% Livni, 15% Ashkenazi, 10% Herzog, 8% Margalit

Of the following candidates who is most appropriate to lead the Histadrut Workers Union?

54% Don’t know, 19% Yachimovich, 18% Cabel, 9% Nissenkorn

What is your opinion of the Histadrut?

30% Helps all workers, 26% Gives jobs to friends, 25% Helps strong workers, 19% Don’t know

Are you pleased or not pleased with the conduct of MK Yachimovich?

46% Pleased, 40% Not pleased, 14% Don’t know

What issues should Yachimovich focus on?

71% Social & Economic issues, 16% Don’t know, 13% Diplomatic & Security issues

If elected to lead the Histadrut, would Yachimovich be able to manage struggles against the government and private interests?

55% Yes, 28% No, 17% Don’t know

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Poll #3: Midgam conducted a poll that was broadcast by the Knesset Channel on December 8th 2016.

Should the government compensate only citizens that have been harmed from terror or should the State also compensate all citizens that are harmed by national disasters?

65% Everybody, 24% Something but less than terror, 8% Not at all, 3% Don’t know

Should the ammonia be moved from Haifa to a different location without a population center?

81% Yes right now, 11% Yes but not right now, 4% Don’t know, 2% No

Should we increase significantly the number of firefighters and our firefighting capabilities such as more fire trucks and fire planes?

79% Yes, 13% No, 8% Don’t know

Do you trust the Israeli government to compensate fully whoever was harmed by the latest fire wave?

43% Not at all, 39% Some compensation, 12% Yes in full, 6% Don’t know

Have the lessons from the Carmel fire six years ago been learned?

57% Some, 24% Not at all, 17% Most, 2% Don’t know

Should the State of Israel invest a special effort to prepare for the possibility of future national disasters?

91% Yes, 5% Don’t know, 4% No

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Poll #4: Panels conducted a poll that was broadcast by the Knesset Channel on December 5th 2016.

Do you think the conduct of Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is fair and straight?

38% Yes, 33% Don’t know, 29% No

Do you think Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit deals with cases effectively or does he drag them out?

36% Drag, 33% Don’t know, 31% Treat

Where would you place Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit politically?

46% Right, 33% Don’t know, 14% Center, 7% Left

Is it the right of the government to make a decision against the opinion of the Attorney General?

54% Yes, 24% No, 22% Don’t know

Do you think the Attorney General’s position is too powerful or appropriate?

39% Appropriate, 32% Too Powerful, 29% Don’t know

Do you think that Mandelblit is conducting himself in the wrong way and in favor of Netanyahu?

39% He’s Objective, 31% Don’t know, 30% In favor of Netanyahu

Is it appropriate to call an investigation an examination instead of calling it an investigation?

45% No, 32% Yes, 23% Don’t know

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Poll #5: Midgam conducted a poll that was broadcast by the Knesset Channel on December 1st 2016.

Is the Outpost Bill that is meant to cancel the Supreme Court decision on Amona fit the principle of the separation of power between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government?

44% No, 29% Don’t know, 27% Yes

Does the Supreme Court’s decision to evacuate Amona fit the principle of the separation of power between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government?

40% Yes, 30% Don’t know, 30% No

Is it appropriate after an election for a new government to change decisions that had been made by the judicial branch in the previous term by the previous government?

51% No, 39% Yes, 10% Don’t know

From what you know, does the United Kingdom who is the mother of all democracies in the world, allow or forbid the government or the parliament from intervening in the courts and the judicial branch of government?

44% Forbid, 41% Don’t know, 15% Allow

Should the court system fit itself to the government or should the court system remain independent and make their decisions independently?

70% Independent, 25% Fit itself to government, 5% Don’t know

There are those who say that only due to democratic rules and a strong court system was Menachem Begin able to survive in the opposition for so long and eventually reach the leadership of the country. Do you agree with this opinion?

45% Yes, 29% Don’t know, 26% No

Is it justified that a police investigation on government corruption of senior officials be labeled by the Attorney General as a check instead of an investigation?

61% No, 27% Yes, 12% Don’t know

There are governments like the United States in which the leader of the State is not allowed more than two terms. Should we pass a law like that in Israel?

68% Yes, 24% No, 8% Don’t know

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Poll #6: Panels conducted a poll that was broadcast by the Knesset Channel on November 28th 2016.

Who do you think should lead the efforts to manage the events following the fire wave of last week?

34% Shimon Ben-Ner, 31% Gilad Erdan, 16% Don’t know, 11% Benjamin Netanyahu, 8% Roni Alsheikh

What grade do you give the authorities in dealing with the fires from 1-10?

9.0 Firefighters, 8.0 Police, 7.9 Municipalities, 6.5 Israeli Government

In your opinion what caused the fires?

68% Nationalistic/Terrorism, 19% Negligence, 13% Don’t know

Do you think that the punishment should be made more severe on people who lit the fires to the point of stripping their citizenship and destroying their homes?

62% Yes, 34% No

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Poll #7: Midgam conducted a poll that was broadcast by the Knesset Channel on November 24th 2016.

Should there be a separation between religion and state in Israel?

57% Yes, 35% No, 8% Don’t know

Are you for the Loudspeaker Bill?

69% Yes, 23% No, 8% Don’t know

What should the preferred solution be to resolve the loudspeaker issue? The bill or dialogue with Muslim community leaders and an attempt to reach an understanding.

65% Reach Understanding, 28% Bill, 7% Don’t know

If the loudspeaker bill is passed, should there be another bill against the noise from Jewish traditions?

65% Yes, 27% No, 8% Don’t know

Was Litzman correct in his appeal against the Loudspeaker Bill?

38% No, 35% Yes, 27% Don’t know

Do the Rabbinical Courts and the State deal with those who refuse to grant a divorce through a “get” in the right way?

44% Not doing anything at all, 40% Doing something, but not doing enough, 10% Don’t know, 6% Doing enough

Is the treatment towards Reform Jewry from religious institutions in Israel pushing the US Jewry away from Israel?

52% Yes, 25% Don’t know, 23% No

Later this month the Knesset is expected to approve a biannual state budget that will all but ensure the survival of the current coalition into 2019. The question will shift to what date between January 1st and November 5th the elections for the 21st Knesset will be held in 2019.

The media and opposition are not really covering the state budget. Instead the media and opposition are covering the public broadcasting saga, the Amona Bill, the Loudspeaker Bill, the German submarines, and events such as the latest fires, and the transition from President Obama to President-Elect Trump.

The days of being able to pull a “stinky maneuver” no-confidence motion to topple a government like former President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres attempted on then Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir in 1990 are over. Over time there have been additional changes to the law to make that impossible unless there are 61 MKs that have ahead of time already come to an agreement on a Prime Minister and cabinet. Since then, the easiest way for the Knesset to topple a Prime Minister and replace a government has become the threat of the Knesset not passing the government state budget. As a direct result the state budget became headline news months ahead of time and previous opposition leaders focused their efforts on defeating it.

Last month, with 2,788 days consecutive days in office, Prime Minister Netanyahu passed Ben-Gurion’s record for the longest consecutive term as Prime Minster. As mentioned in previous Weekend Perspective pieces, Netanyahu can pass Ben-Gurion’s overall time as Prime Minister during this current term.  Although Netanyahu’s Likud is tied with Yesh Atid at 24.4 seats in the KnessetJeremy Polling Average, Netanyahu’s current coalition receives 65.7 seats compared to the current opposition that without the non-Zionist Arab parties has just 41.3 seats.

In this biannual state budget Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Kahlon are offering Shas and UTJ the most coalition money they have ever had. Shas and UTJ, therefore, have absolutely no reason to rock the boat. Kahlon, who has obviously signed off on his own state budget, is looking for an extra two years so he can push through his reforms and rebound in the polls. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has finally reached his dream ministerial job and the former Foreign Minister is interested in gaining the national defense experience he will need to run for Prime Minister someday. Bayit Yehudi’s Naftali Bennett is still building up his portfolio for an eventual showdown against Liberman and Netanyahu’s Likud successor over the nationalist camp.

The press understands the political reality of Netanyahu’s strength which is why I can understand their decision to ignore for the most part the state budget in favor of the hot topics that will produce ratings and sell papers. After all, the issue of government spending and redistribution of citizens’ tax shekels is not as sexy as discussing German submarines or the Amona situation. Unlike the press, the opposition just seems tired, as if they couldn’t be bothered to even try to read the budget, let alone speak up about it.

Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid, who leads the opposition parties in the polls and is tied with the Likud for the top party in the land, is a one-man-show. The political environment within his party is a more Gush Dan upper-middle-class Ashkenazi and media savvy version of Liberman’s Yisrael Beitenu. The other Yesh Atid MKs jobs are to play a supporting role as a media personality based on the needs and desires of their Chairman. It is easy to build for the future when there is a known system in place and the head of the party can avoid internal elections.

Supposedly, the Zionist Union leads the opposition with 24 seats. Coalition Chairman (Chief Whip) Bitan’s job is made easy by the lack of coordination between the four opposition lists on most issues and bills. Over the last few years most of the Labor Party veterans have given up on politics and taken other jobs outside of the Knesset. 17 of Zionist Union’s 24 MKs are in their first or second terms. Many of the seven veterans are considering outside options or shortcuts to avoid tiring political primaries. Shelly Yachimovich officially announced that she is considering running for the Histadrut Labor Union instead of running against Herzog. Eitan Cabel is considering running for his old position as the Labor Party Secretary General to avoid running in another primary. Some say Amir Peretz would drop his potential bid for the Labor leadership if he is offered another reserved slot. MK Nachman Shai has reportedly considered other outside options. The two former IDF COS Ashkenazi and Gantz have avoided any direct political involvement and are not card-carrying-members. Herzog’s main opposition in the Labor leadership race next year appears to be second-term MK Erel Margalit, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai or perhaps Tzipi Livni. Labor is the only democratic party on the center-left where each member can choose their party leader, MK list, and other party institutions such as their Central Committee and local party branch leadership. Herzog is considered a weak leader, the Zionist Union is down to 11 seats in the KnessetJeremy Polling Average, yet no one strong is showing up to try their luck.

The reality of the 2017-2018 state budget that will most likely pass within the next month is that the current right-religious coalition will remain in power for at least another two years, and based on the polls beyond that as well. The Joint List and Meretz are not even pretending to offer an alternative. The Zionist Union is more interested in the Histradrut Labor Union election than their own Leadership Election next year. Meanwhile, Lapid is playing the long game, and Netanyahu is closing in on Ben-Gurion’s more significant record.

Midgam conducted a poll that was broadcast by Channel 2 on Dec 3 2016.

Current Knesset seats in [brackets]

25 [30] Likud

25 [11] Yesh Atid

13 [13] The Joint (Arab) List

11 [08] Bayit Yehudi

10 [24] Zionist Union

08 [06] Yisrael Beitenu

07 [10] Kulanu

07 [07] Shas

07 [06] Yahadut Hatorah/UTJ

07 [05] Meretz

 

65 [67] Current Right-Religious Coalition

55 [53] Current Center-Left-Arab Opposition

 

Updated KnessetJeremy Polling Average – The Israeli Poll of Polls: https://knessetjeremy.com/knessetjeremy-polling-average-the-israeli-poll-of-polls/

 

Panels conducted a poll that was broadcast by the Knesset Channel on November 21st 2016.

Should the residents of Amona resist evacuation?

57% Must leave themselves, 28% Should resist evacuation, 15% Don’t know

Right wing voters: 46% Should resist evacuation, 36% Must leave themselves, 18% Don’t know

Do you support active resistance to the evacuation?

64% No, 19% Yes, 17% Don’t know

Do you agree that the argument the government sent the residents to Amona means they need to take care of them?

79% Yes, 14% No, 7% Don’t know

What would you advise the leaders of the right to focus on?

81% Civil and social issues, 10% Don’t know, 9% Settlements in Judea and Samaria

Right wing voters: 72% Civil and social issues, 16% Settlements in Judea and Samaria, 12% Don’t know

Midgam conducted a poll that was broadcast by the Knesset Channel on November 17th 2016.

Are you pleased with the results of the United States elections?

46% Yes, 33% No, 21% Don’t know

Do you believe Trump will move the US Embassy to Jerusalem?

39% No, 32% Yes, 29% Don’t know

Do you believe Trump will allow Israel to create new settlements in Judea and Samaria?

44% Yes, 29% Don’t know, 27% No

Do you believe Trump will allow Israel to annex the Jewish settlement blocs into Israel?

35% Yes, 33% No, 32% Don’t know

Do you believe Trump will deal with the Iranian threat better than Obama?

42% Yes, 35% No, 23% Don’t know

Do you believe Trump will send US forces to fight against ISIS?

48% Yes, 32% No, 20% Don’t know

Do you think that Trump’s attitude towards Muslims will strengthen Israel’s standings in American public opinion?

37% No influence, 32% Strengthen, 21% Don’t know, 10% Weaken