Ahead of Wednesday's Knesset vote on a bill to regularize the status of small communities in Judea and Samaria, a new survey has indicated that there is an absolute majority among Blue & White voters and those who consider themselves politically centrist, in favor of passing the legislation.
The poll, conducted by the Direct Polls Institute, found that among those who define their political position as centrist or Blue & White supporters, 73.1% agree that the State should be obligated to accord equal rights to all Jews in Judea and Samaria who have been emboldened by consecutive administrations to establish new communities. Just 22.9% disagreed, while 4.1% said they were undecided.
The survey also found that 54.6% of these voters agreed that regulating new settlements would solve the issue of large-scale illegal construction and that the Kaminitz Law – making it easier for the government to confiscate illegal Arab construction in Judea and Samaria – should also apply to Jewish residents. 28.8% were opposed, while 16.6% had no opinion on the matter.
58.3% of center and Blue & White supporters agreed that it was immoral for the government to encourage citizens to settle State lands, promise to legalize their towns, only to end up leaving them without basic infrastructure and unsustainable living conditions. 33.2% did not agree and 8.5% said they didn't know.
The Young Settlement Forum responded to the poll, saying, "Even those who support the Blue & White party realize that this is not a matter of politics but of right and wrong, a question of morality and simple humanity. We call on Defense Minister Benny Gantz and all members of Blue & White to support the bill formulated with the consent of our legal advisers and the Civil Administration."
The poll was conducted by Shlomo Philber and Tzuriel Sharon of Direct Polls LTD for the Young Settlement Forum, from December 10-11, 2020, and included 502 adult respondents aged 18 and above viewing themselves as centrist and / or supporters of Blue & White. Statistical sampling error 3.1% + - with an accuracy probability of 95%.