In the lead up to the Israeli elections (March 23rd 2021) an increasing amount of discourse suggested that the Israeli public has shifted more to the right, as projected seat distribution in the Knesset indicates an ideological shift. To examine this, the GI conducted a poll that focused on assessing public support for the two-state solution broken down by party preference.
An article published in Haaretz on March 16th entitled, “Israel’s Left-wing Camp Didn’t Shrink. New Poll FindsWhat Happened to Its Voters” details findings and wrote:
“According to most recent polls, rightist parties will have around 80 seats in the next Knesset, significantly more than they had in recent Knessets…But a new poll by the Geneva Initiative shows that the left hasn’t actually shrunk. Rather, many leftists have prioritized ousting Netanyahu and decided that the best way to do so is to vote for rightist parties. As a result, these strategic voters may end up enabling rightist parties to promote an agenda that contradicts their own worldview.
The Geneva Initiative estimated that 12 seats’ worth of voters who support two states are currently backing rightist parties – four seats for Yisrael Beiteinu, five for New Hope and three for Yamina. However, it noted, a two-state solution continues to command the support of a majority of Israelis, the equivalent of 65 or 66 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.”
Read the full poll results here.
