A new poll conducted by Maagar Mochot and published Friday by Israel Hayom showed that over half of Israelis believe the protesters participating in recent demonstrations across Israel are violent.
According to the poll 52% of Israelis believe that the demonstrators are "violent" or "very violent." Another 44% believe that the police are also too violent.
When asked who they believe is behind the demonstrations, 25% said they believe business owners and employees who suffered financial harm due to the lockdown are responsible for the protests, while 21% said they believe political factors are behind the protest.
Another 48% laid the blame on both groups, while 6% did not know or gave a different answer.
When asked for their opinion on how police are handling the protests, 44% said they believe the police are too violent, while 30% said they believe the police responded appropriately. Another 12% said they believe the police are too soft, while 14% said they were not sure.
Regarding the protests themselves, 52% said the protests are "violent" or "very violent," while 27% said they are "balanced and thought-out." Another 12% said the protests were "very or relatively quiet" and 9% said they did not know.
Twenty-six percent of Israelis believe the demonstrations are to protest Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, while 19% said the protests are due to the coronavirus crisis. Forty-nine percent said both issues were factors, and 6% said they did not know or gave a different answer.
When it comes to demonstrators blocking roads, nearly half of Israelis (49%) said the move is not legitimate, while 23% said they believe it is legitimate to block roads. Another 21% said legitimacy depends on who the demonstrators are and what they are protesting, and 7% said they did not know or gave a different answer.