Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's trip to Moscow during Shabbat (the Jewish day of rest) last week caused a great stir in Israel; following the visit, Channel 13 commissioned a survey to gauge the Israeli public's view of the negotiations and Israel's role in them. The survey was conducted by Prof. Camille Fuchs and was published on Sunday evening -- it revealed that a majority of Israelis supported Bennett's decision to travel to Moscow and meet with President Putin.
According to the survey, 48 percent of those questioned believe that Bennett acted correctly in meeting with the Russian President. 34 percent thought that he did not act correctly, and 18 percent replied that they were uncertain.
When asked whether they thought Israel should attempt to broker negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, 52 percent responded in the affirmative as opposed to 32 percent who were opposed to Israel's involvement, and 16 percent who were unsure.
Another question posed related to the refugee crisis. Should Israel open its doors to all seeking refuge from the fighting? Most of those asked responded that Israel should take in refugees, but not indiscriminately. This was also the position adopted by Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked earlier on Sunday, who noted that around 90 percent of those currently arriving in the country from Ukraine are not eligible for citizenship according to the Law of Return -- that is to say, they do not even have one Jewish grandparent.
Just 26 percent of those polled stated that Israel should absorb an unlimited number of refugees regardless of status. 15 percent of those polled responded that Israel should not take any refugees in whatsoever; 4 percent were unsure.
The survey's results also contained bad news for Bennett; a majority of those polled believe that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be a more effective mediator. 49 percent of respondents said Netanyahu would be more effective than Bennett; 23 percent responded that Bennett was the politician best suited to the role; 13 percent opted for neither of the two; and 15 percent said they were unsure.
The final question of the survey asked respondents who their top pick was for the position of Prime Minister. 50 percent responded that their preferred candidate was Netanyahu, while Bennett garnered the support of 20 percent of those polled. Yair Lapid, the current Foreign Minister, was the first choice of just 17 percent of respondents, and Benny Gantz, the Defense Minister, was in fourth place with 12 percent. One percent of those polled were unsure.
The survey approached 702 Israelis of whom 601 were Jewish, and had a 3.8 percent margin of error.