Yossi Schwartz ISL (RCIT section in Israel/Occupied Palestine) 23.12.2025
According to Haaretz’s report[i], a large majority of the Jewish public, 71.5%, opposes the inclusion of Arab parties in the government. In contrast, a similar percentage of the Arab public, 77 percent, supports the move, according to a report by the Israel Democracy Institute’s Democracy Index published Monday. According to the index, most Jewish respondents (84%) who oppose the move vote for right-wing parties, but 43% of voters for centrist parties and about 20% of left-wing Zionist voters also oppose the inclusion of Arab parties in the government.
The Institute also notes that this year, there was a significant decline in the rate of Jewish support for joint political activity compared with the previous measurement from May 2023. At the time, about 36% of the Jewish public supported the inclusion of Arab parties in the government. This compares with 27% this year. According to the study’s authors, most Arabs are interested in living with Jews, while many Jews are not.
The index also identified an ongoing decline in public trust in democracy. About a quarter of Jews today give a good or excellent grade to Israeli democracy. In contrast, the percentage of Arabs who rated democracy highly is among the lowest in the index over the years, reaching only 12%. A majority of Jewish respondents (70%) and a majority of Arab respondents prefer not to express their political opinions publicly to foreigners. This continues the upward trend in this figure.
Forty-four percent of the Jewish respondents reported that they felt that the Jewish component in the State of Israel was too strong. At the same time, about a quarter (24%) thought the democratic component was too strong, and about one-fifth (19%) reported that they believe there is a balance between the two elements. Among those who think that the Jewish component in the country is too strong, there is a clear majority of secular respondents. In contrast, a clear majority of ultra-Orthodox respondents believe that the democratic component is too strong.
The Democracy Index project, conducted for the 23rd consecutive year, also reveals the extent of the Jewish public’s lack of trust in the Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara. This is against the backdrop of the government’s ongoing attempt to oust it and undermine her professionalism. Respondents in the Jewish public ranked the Attorney General sixth among all institutions surveyed, and her approval rate was 39%. The Supreme Court received 42% support. In contrast, among the Arab public, where trust in all government institutions is relatively low, the advisor received broad support, ranking second after the Supreme Court at 35%. Among right-wing voters, the attorney general received only 19% support and ranked ninth among the institutions examined. On the left, the adviser ranked second, receiving 84% support. Among centrist voters, the attorney general was ranked fourth and received 64% support.
Among Jewish respondents, only three institutions were trusted by more than half: the army, the Shin Bet, and the municipality or local authority to which they belonged. Among the Arab interviewees, no institution won the trust of 50 percent of the public.
Speaking to Channel 12’s “Meet the Press” on Saturday evening, Eisenkot, the former head of the army, suggested that the Zionist — meaning, non-Arab and non-Haredi — opposition parties could form a government even if the bloc only wins 58 seats in the next election, two short of a 60-seat majority, as polls have consistently suggested it will.
“We can find a political solution,” he said of the possibility that the parties will fall just short of a minority.
When pushed to answer whether this meant the Zionist opposition bloc could find itself relying on Arab-majority parties Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am to support from outside the formation of a minority government, Eisenkot, an ex-member of Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party, was evasive.
“I don’t know” if they would support such a move, Eisenkot cautioned, adding that he “won’t ask anything of them,” emphasizing that he will not make any deals with Arab-majority parties in exchange for their support for a government.
Arab parties such as Hadash-Ta’al (secular) and Ra’am (Islamic) can provide external support for a minority government, selling their voters on empty promises of civil/economic gains, a pattern observed in the past. However, it creates ideological tensions within the Arab population, as evidenced by Ra’am’s participation in a coalition and Hadash-Ta’al/Balad’s opposition in 2021-2022.
A possible war with Iran
After the twelve-day war with Iran, a large majority of Jewish Israelis (who broadly self-identify as Zionists) supported a war or military strikes against Iran, while most Arab Israelis opposed it.
This indicates a significant divide in public opinion along ethnic and political lines within Israel. Surveys conducted in June 2025 revealed that: A substantial majority, consistently around 82-83%, of Jewish Israelis expressed support for the military operations and their timing. This support held across most of the political spectrum, including a majority of those on the left who self-identify as Zionist.
The sentiment was vastly different among Arab Israelis, with most (around 65-73%) opposing the strikes and preferring a diplomatic resolution.
However, a war with Iran may advance the end of the Zionist monster.
“Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi says that Iran has become stronger after the 12-day Israeli war imposed against the country, adding that the fruitful experience gained during the 12-day war increased military preparedness and raised the level of coordination and readiness in various units of the armed forces. During the 12-day war, neither the US nor Israel achieved any of their goals, he underlined.
On June 13, 2025, Israel launched a blatant and unprovoked aggression against Iran while Washington and Tehran were in a process of nuclear negotiations. The Israeli attack triggered a 12-day war that killed at least 1,064 people in the country, including military commanders, atomic scientists, and ordinary civilians. The United States also entered the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites in a grave violation of international law.”[ii]
For many days, the Israelis have been aware that Netanyahu is pushing for a war with Iran. The 12-day war in June 2025 was a traumatic event for Israelis, mainly due to the heavy salvos of Iranian missiles launched at Israeli population centers.
The missile strikes brought the war home to Israelis in a new way, with many people describing fear and chaos as missiles hit residential areas in Tel Aviv and other central cities. This has reportedly shattered a prior sense of security. However, there are signs of panic, but while some Israelis demonstrate against Netanyahu’s government, there are no protests against a war with Iran.
Many Israeli officers are leaving the army. In Gaza, the Israeli military is exhausted, and the only thing keeping the army going is its air force and the unlimited supply of Western-made munitions. Israel’s army is falling apart under the pressure, and it has even contracted criminal militia men, who it formerly used to steal aid, to begin fighting in the place of the Israeli army on the ground in some instances.
While not in total collapse, Northern Israel faces severe problems from the conflict with Hezbollah, leading to mass evacuations, deep mistrust in defense, economic strain, deserted towns like Metula, or Kiryat Shamona, and profound uncertainty for residents even after ceasefires, as many do not return amid damaged infrastructure and fear of renewed hostilities, creating a crisis of stability and rebuilding.
In a major war, Israel will not be able to conquer Iran, but Iran has enough soldiers to occupy the Zionist state. It is difficult for Israel to use atomic bombs, as they will destroy parts of the Zionist state, while Iran has ballistic missiles. 200,000 Israelis have escaped Israel. In the event of a war with Iran, many more will attempt to flee.
The Prophet Amos said:
6“For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent.
They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed” [iii]
[i] https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/education/2025-12-22/ty-article/.premium/0000019b-44fc-d21a-a7fb-dcfd910d0000
[ii] https://en.mehrnews.com/news/240042/Iran-has-become-stronger-after-12-day-Israeli-imposed-war
[iii] The Jewish Bible Amos chapter 2