Widespread Support for Haredi Draft Law and Inquest Surrounds Mixed Views on Peace Talks
A majority of Jewish Israelis backed requiring ultra‑Orthodox men to enlist in the IDF and establishing a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, while Arab Israelis showed the strongest appetite for exploring negotiations with the Palestinians, according to an Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) survey published Wednesday.
The poll, conducted by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute between October 5 and 8, surveyed 602 Jewish Israelis and 149 Arab Israelis aged 18 and above.
Findings indicate that 72% of Jewish respondents favored a law compelling young ultra‑Orthodox men to join the Israel Defense Forces, and 71% supported creating a national commission of inquiry to investigate the October 7 attack, per the survey.
Support for conscription legislation and a state commission of inquiry was highest on the Left (93.5%) and in the Centre (89%), while respondents on the Right expressed lower levels of support (62%).
One quarter of Jews in Israel support negotiations with Palestinians
Only a quarter of Jewish respondents backed the notion of discussing peace talks with the Palestinians, though the idea garnered the highest approval among Arab Israelis, with 58% favoring it.
While only one in four Jews saw negotiating with the Palestinians as viable, Arab Israelis showed the strongest backing, citing the need for dialogue as a priority.
The survey also highlighted divergent opinions regarding Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank. Approximately 55% of respondents deemed encouraging settlements the correct approach, versus 32% who opposed current practices. Over two‑thirds of Jewish respondents viewed Israeli settlements positively, compared with roughly half of Arab respondents, and support for the position rose by about ten percentage points since a comparable query in May 2017.
Israeli Attitudes Toward European Sanctions on Settlement Imports
The United Kingdom, together with Canada and France, introduced sanctions targeting goods originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In response, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced the closure of the UK consulate in east Jerusalem.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband defended the measures as retaliation against perceived attempts to undermine the two‑state solution through illegal expansion of occupation. (Note: This sentence reflects the original content verbatim.
According to the survey, attitudes toward European sanctions on settlement imports were split: 63% of respondents called for a robust Israeli response and equal treatment of settlement products alongside domestically produced items.
~70% of Jewish voters supported demands for such parity, while about half of Arab respondents backed recognition of restrictions placed on settlement goods by other nations.
The poll further explored public perception of claims that Prime Minister Netanyahu received confidential warnings from senior Arab officials in the weeks preceding October 7. Sixty‑three percent found these allegations credible, yet a majority split remained on whether the reporting was designed to sway the election outcome.
Recent months have seen measurable optimism lift across several pillars: confidence in democracy (up 9.5 pp), national security (up 8 pp), economic stability, and social cohesion. The jump in democratic confidence led the largest increase.
