Israeli Public Opinion Polls:
Opinion Toward Terrorism

(2008 - 2016)

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(For Jews only) Some claim that any Palestinian who carries out a terror attack against Jews should be killed on the spot, even if he has been captured and clearly does not pose a threat. Others claim that the moment he has ceased to pose a threat, the Palestinian attacker must be handed over to the legal authorities. With which of the two claims do you agree more? (Peace Index, September 2016)

	Israeli Jews
Any Palestinian who carries out an attack should be killed on the spot, even if he does not pose a threat	46.8%
The moment he has ceased to pose a threat, the attacker should be handed over to the legal authorities	44.9%
Agree With Neither	3.5%
Don't know	4.9%

To what extent are you worried or not worried that you or a member of your family could be hurt by Palestinian attacks in your daily life? (PCPSR, June 2016)

	Israeli Jews	Israeli Arabs	General Public
Very Worried	27.7%	14.7%	25.7%
Worried	44.4%	47.6%	44.8%
Not Very Worried	21.7%	18.7%	21.3%
Not Worried at all	5.3%	17.8%	7.1%
Don't know	1%	1.3%	1.1%

To what extent do you fear that you or one of the people important to you will be harmed in the current wave of terror attacks? (Peace Index, April 2016)

	Israeli Jews	Israeli Arabs	General Public
Greatly fear	26.1%	62.4%	32.1%
Moderately fear	38.2%	10.5%	33.6%
Do not fear much	22.3%	6.3%	19.6%
Do not fear at all	10.2%	19.5%	11.7%
Don't know	3.2%	1.3%	2.9%

Are you for or against cooperation between Israel and Turkey in the fight against terror? (Peace Index, March 2016)

	Israeli Jews	Israeli Arabs	General Public
Strongly in favor	23.5%	33.9%	25.2%
Moderately in favor	39.9%	28.5%	38%
Moderately against	14%	11.2%	13.5%
Strongly against	10.5%	10.2%	10.5%
Don't know	12.2%	16.2%	12.8%

Do you agree or disagree with the opinion that in order to fight terror effectively, one can ignore human and civil rights? (Peace Index, March 2016)

	Israeli Jews	Israeli Arabs	General Public
Strongly agree	19.2%	3%	16.5%
Moderately agree	29.8%	--%	24.8%
Moderately disagree	26.3%	4%	22.6%
Don't agree at all	20.1%	86.1%	31.1%
Don't know	4.6%	3%	5%

(For Jews only) In his weekly lesson, Sephardi chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef addressed the issue of neutralizing terrorists and said it is a commandment to kill a terrorist who comes at one with a knife. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? (Peace Index, March 2016)

	Israeli Jews
Don't agree at all	16.1%
Don't agree so much	13.8%
Moderately agree	22.5%
Strongly agree	44%
Don't know	3.6%

After the latest terror attacks, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that worldwide terror and Palestinian terror are the same phenomenon and are fed by the same sources. Others claim that they are two different phenomena: worldwide terror is fed by radical Islam while Palestinian terror is fed by the desire to get free of the Israeli occupation. With which position do you agree more? (Peace Index, March 2016)

	Israeli Jews	Israeli Arabs	General Public
With Netanyahu: they are a single phenomenon fed by the same sources	64%	13.3%	55.6%
Not with Netanyahu: they are two different phenomenon, one fed by radical Islam and one resisting Israel	29.7%	65.2%	35.7%
Don't know	6.2%	21.4%	8.7%

To what extent do you fear that you or one of the people who are important to you will be harmed in the current wave of terror attacks? (Peace Index, March 2016)

	Israeli Jews	Israeli Arabs	General Public
Greatly fear	32.7%	47.2%	35.2%
Moderately fear	36.3%	28.9%	35%
Don't fear much	23.4%	10%	21.2%
Don't fear at all	5.5%	12.9%	6.7%
Don't know	2%	1%	1.9%

In your opinion, are the ways in which the IDF is now operating to stop the terror wave...? (Peace Index, February 2016)

	Israeli Jews	Israeli Arabs	General Public
Very moral	57.1%	4.3%	48.3%
Moderately moral	32.5%	1.4%	27.3%
Slightly immoral	6.1%	29.8%	10%
Not moral at all	1.4%	53.2%	10.1%
Don't know	2.9%	11.2%	4.3%

IDF Chief of Staff Eisenkot said recently that restraint should be exercised in using military force against the current terror wave and that he would not want a soldier to empty a cartridge at a 13-year-old girl with scissors. Do you agree or disagree with this position of the chief of staff’s? (Peace Index, February 2016)

	Israeli Jews	Israeli Arabs	General Public
Strongly agree	25.6%	20.8%	24.8%
Moderately agree	21.9%	25.8%	22.6%
Don't agree much	21.1%	13.8%	19.9%
Don't agree at all	29.2%	15.3%	26.9%
Don't know	2.2%	24.3%	5.9%

Are you worried that you or your family may be harmed by Arabs in daily life? (Truman Research Institute/PCPSR)

	August 2009	December 2009
Yes	50%	57%

Which of the following is closest to your opinion on prisoner swaps? (Truman Research Institute/PCPSR, December 2009)

Israel should pay almost any price to return prisoners of war home since this is the moral obligation of the state which sent them to war.	52%
Israel should not free "terrorists" who killed Israelis in "terrorist" acts inside Israel since this will encourage further abductions and acts of "terror".	35%

Do you support or oppose the release of Israeli Arabs who carried out violent attacks within Israel in return for the release of Gilad Shalit? (Truman Research Institute/PCPSR)

	August 2009	December 2009
Support	63%	58%
Oppose	27%	36%

Do you support or oppose talks with Hamas if needed to reach a compromise agreement with the Palestinians? (Truman Research Institute/PCPSR)

	March 2009	August 2009	December 2009
Support	50%	52%	53%
Oppose	48%	44%	42%

Do you support or oppose talks with a national unity government composed jointly of Hamas and Fatah if such a government is reestablished? (Truman Research Institute/PCPSR)

	March 2009	August 2009	December 2009
Support	69%	66%	66%
Oppose	27%	30%	27%

Do you support or oppose return to Palestinian-Israeli final status negotiations before cessation of Palestinian violence? (Truman Research Institute/PCPSR, March 1-7, 2009)

Support	40%
Oppose	58%

Do you think Israel should or should not negotiate with Hamas? (War & Peace Index, February 2009)

Support negotiations	45.2%
Oppose negotiations	50.7%
No opinion/I don't know	4.2%

Do you support the prisoner exchange deal Israel signed with Hezbollah in an effort to free kidnapped IDF soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, even though it means releasing all the Lebanese prisoners it holds, including Samir Kuntar? (War & Peace Index)

	June 2008	July 2008
Yes	38%	60%
No	46%	32%

Do you support the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the militant groups in the Gaza Strip, which entails the release of numerous Palestinian prisoners in return for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit? (War & Peace Index, July 2008)

Yes	70%
No	20%

Do you believe the Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas will be good for Israel? (War & Peace Index, July 2008)

Yes	45%
No	48%

Should the calm agreement with Hamas have been conditioned on the release of Gilad Shalit? (Dahaf for Yediot Ahronot, June 19, 2008)

Yes	78%
No	15%
No reply	7%

As long as there is no information as to whether Regev and Goldwasser are alive, are you for a deal according to which Kuntar is released? (Dahaf for Yediot Ahronot, June 19, 2008)

Yes	65%
No	27%
No reply	8%

If it turns out with certainty that Goldwasser and Regev are dead, should we agree to the deal? (Dahaf for Yediot Ahronot, June 19, 2008)

Yes	61%
No	32%
No reply	7%

Do you support or oppose the calm agreement with Hamas? (Shvakim Panorama for Israel Radio's "It's All Talk," June 18, 2008)

Support	40.6%
Oppose	32.9%
No position	26.5%

You think that the calm will continue for a short time (days) or a long time (months)? (Shvakim Panorama for Israel Radio's "It's All Talk," June 18, 2008)

Short	74.8%
Long	17.1%
Don't know	8.1%

What do you prefer the government of Israel do: reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas or continue the war against it? (Maagar Mohot Survey Institute for Israel Radio's "It's All Talk")

	March 5, 2008	May 18, 2008	June 11, 2008
Deal	36%	33%	33%
War	54%	56%	44%
Other replies	10%	11%	23%

Do you think the government of Israel should sign a ceasefire agreement with Hamas even without the release of Gilad Shalit? (Maagar Mohot Survey Institute for Israel Radio's "It's All Talk," May 18,2008)

No	57%
Yes	24%
Other replies	19%

Should the IDF act today to physically destroy Hamas leaders? (Maagar Mohot Survey Institute for Israel Radio's "It's All Talk," May 18, 2008)

No	22%
Yes	49%
Other replies	29%

Should the IDF launch today a large scale land operation in Gaza despite the possibility of IDF soldiers being hurt? (Maagar Mohot Survey Institute for Israel Radio's "It's All Talk," May 18, 2008)

No	38%
Yes	51%
Other replies	11%

What is a suitable response to the rocket fire coming from Gaza? (War & Peace Index, February 2008, March 3-4, 2008)

Support the policy of restraint	4%
Support negotiating a ceasefire	17%
Re-occupy Gaza and stay there for an unlimited time	26%
Support a limited operation in Gaza, after which the IDF would depart	33%