Public Opinion Update: Are we the Chosen People?

1.

Another Israeli poll proves that Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid Party is in a strong position – if elections were held today, it would get as many seats in the Knesset as the Likud Party. Good news for those who want Binyamin Netanyahu out? Not necessarily. Similarly to what happened in the last round of elections, the electoral picture is still one that gives the right-religious coalition a majority. That is to say: for Lapid to be the next PM (and the coalition can serve for another three years, so there is still a lot that can happen), he will need one of Netanyahu’s current members of the coalition to jump ship. Potential candidates: The Jewish Home Party, because of Naftali Bennet’s discomfort with Netanyahu; Avigdor Lieberman’s Israel Beiteinu, because of Lieberman’s discomfort with Netanyahu; Moshe Cahlon’s Kulanu, because of Cahlon’s discomfort with Netanyahu. So it is all personal – when it comes to policy, the Likud and Netanyahu are still in a better position to form the next coalition.

Take a look at Israel’s updated poll numbers ” target=”_blank”>In the latest survey only 9% of Jewish Israelis defined him as “pro-Israel.” President elect Trump is seen, at least for now, as “pro-Israel.” 50% of the Israeli public ” target=”_blank”>2013 survey by IDI might give us a hint, even though the question back then was still somewhat problematic. It was: “To what degree do you believe\disbelieve that the Jewish People is the Chosen People of all people?” 50% strongly believe in that. 14% more somewhat believe in that. That’s 64% – much higher than the 41% that the recent poll found. So one might conclude – with some evidence – that a quarter of Jewish Israelis do believe in the concept of Chosen-ness but do not believe it to mean that the Jews are “greater than other peoples.”

4.

The Forward’s Jane Eisner (whom I briefly met in Israel this week) ” target=”_blank”>found that “an overwhelming majority of respondents (80%) expressed some concern about the increase in reported antisemitic incidents in the US since Trump’s victory on November 8. Of those respondents, 16% are very concerned, 32% concerned and the same number slightly concerned.”

An IDI survey