Wed 06 May 2026:

The majority of Israelis believe that ending the war with Iran under current conditions would not sufficiently serve their national security interests, suggests a survey by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), a think tank.

Two-thirds of Jewish respondents said an end to the war now is only slightly, or not at all, compatible with Israel’s security interests.

Overall, 59 percent of Israelis opposed ending the war at this stage.

Arab citizens of Israel were sharply divided, with nearly half saying that ending the war serves Israel’s interests “to a large extent”.

Some 62 percent of all those surveyed expect Israel to return to a wide-scale conflict with Iran.

The survey’s findings also suggest that 51 percent of Israelis believe that the US exerts more influence on Israel’s defence decisions than their own government, up from 44 percent in October 2025. Just 18 percent said the Israeli government has more influence.

Across ethnic and political lines, 72 percent of respondents said rising negative attitudes among Americans towards Israel are “somewhat worrying” or “very worrying” for Israelis.

On Lebanon, two-thirds of Israelis said the chances of reaching a stable deal that includes disarming Hezbollah are low or non-existent. Among Jewish respondents, nearly 80 percent were pessimistic.

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Protests in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem demand probe into Netanyahu’s government failures

Meanwhile, protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem demanded an official inquiry Saturday into government and security failures surrounding the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, and subsequent developments, Israeli media reported.

About 2,000 demonstrators gathered at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, while 250 others rallied in Jerusalem, according to the Haaretz newspaper.

The protests were called by civil groups and families of victims, who demanded accountability for political and military decisions they said led to failures since October 2023, when less than 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.

In Jerusalem, police forcibly dispersed some protesters after they refused to comply with evacuation orders, said the newspaper.

Participants rejected what they described as a “leadership evasion of responsibility,” urging the establishment of an independent state commission to examine shortcomings and hold those responsible accountable.

Israeli political, security and military officials have described the handling of the Oct. 7 attack as a failure, with several stepping down and acknowledging partial responsibility.

Following the attack, Israel launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 72,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and destroying 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure, with reconstruction costs estimated by the UN at around $70 billion.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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