Israelis support the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, but at the same time strongly criticize the government.
Teemu Juhola,
Minna Pärssinen
When Biden arrived, a dispute arose between Netanyahu’s supporters and opponents.
President of the United States Joe Biden the arrival was also met in Tel Aviv by a small group of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposition activists demanding resignation.
Activists supported sheets demanding Netanyahu’s resignation, and were booed by others. Many tried to cover the sheets and prevent them from being photographed.
– Netanyahu is responsible for many things. Also about what happened a week and a half ago, said the person holding the sheet Zvi Shteingart.
According to him, it is Netanyahu’s responsibility that the terrorist organization Hamas managed to surprise Israel with its attack a week and a half ago.
– It is very surprising if he is not responsible. If he didn’t know what could happen, that’s problematic too. As prime minister, he should lead the country, Shteingart, Finland.
As soon as Biden arrived at the luxury hotel that was the venue for the negotiations, a spat between the two middle-aged women ensued.
– Now is not the time to look for the culprits, the country is in crisis, shouted a woman who pushed the activist.
Likud and Netanyahu’s popularity collapsed
According to opinion polls Support for Netanyahu and the government has collapsed.
For example Maariv magazine a week ago in an opinion poll carried out by Netanyahu, the popularity of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party had fallen by a third compared to before the attack by Hamas.
When the respondents were asked who they would prefer to see as prime minister after the crisis is over, two-thirds chose the option “anyone other than Netanyahu”.
Similar results were also obtained alone to Israeli Jewish respondents in a limited study.
However, military action has broad support. According to polls conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Agam Institute, more than half of Israelis support a ground attack and the occupation of the entire Gaza Strip. More than a third, on the other hand, support a large-scale air attack and a ground attack without taking over the territory.