Most voters for prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party support the government’s plans to dramatically restructure Israel’s legal system, according to a poll aired on Israel’s Channel 12 last week.
The poll found that 55 percent of Likud voters backed the new government’s plans to overhaul the judiciary, with 42 percent supporting a process to fast-track the legislation.
When asked if they feared for the future of Israeli democracy, almost three quarters – 72 percent – said no, but more than one in four – 27 percent – said yes.
Similarly, the poll found that 67 percent of Likud voters were satisfied with the government’s performance so far, while 26% expressed dissatisfaction.
Perhaps most alarmingly for Netanyahu, almost half – 45 percent – of his own voters felt that Likud’s far-right coalition partners had more pull on government policy than Likud’s own senior ministers.
This likely reflects the unprecedented influence of hard right parties like Otzma Yehudit, headed by national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Religious Zionism, led by finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Noam, led by Avi Maoz.
The poll also outlined the extent of internal opposition to Netanyahu’s plans, with almost one in five Likudniks expressing opposition to the judicial reforms, and a further 28 percent expressing uncertainty on the issue.
