A new survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) found that nearly three-quarters of Jewish Israelis would not agree “under any circumstances" to Israel withdrawing from the security perimeter inside the Gaza Strip, while support among Jewish Israelis for occupying and administering the entire Strip has increased over the past year.
The September 2026 JPPI Israeli Society Index examined Israelis’ views on the future of Gaza, the sense of victory in the war, the Qusra incident in Judea and Samaria, the approaching elections, antisemitism, the education system, and assessments of the past year.
On Gaza, 72% of Jewish Israelis said they would not agree under any circumstances to Israel withdrawing to the Gaza border without retaining a security “perimeter" inside the Strip, compared with 68% in September 2025. Among all Israelis, 59% rejected such a withdrawal under any circumstances. Among Arab Israelis, 49% generally agreed that Israel should withdraw to the Gaza border and not retain a security perimeter.
At the same time, support among Jewish Israelis for Israel occupying the entire Gaza Strip and administering it through the IDF for at least several years rose from 27% last year to 36% this year. Forty percent of Jewish Israelis said they would not agree to such an occupation under any circumstances, compared with 42% last year.
The ideological differences on the issue were pronounced. Among respondents on the right, 62% generally agreed with occupying the Strip, and 9% opposed it under any circumstances. In the center-right, 32% generally agreed, and 37% opposed it under any circumstances. Opposition under any circumstances reached 66% in the center, 88% in the center-left, and 91% on the left.
The survey also asked Israelis how they would describe the Jewish youths involved in a violent incident in Qusra in Samaria. One-third of all Israelis, 33%, selected “Israeli terrorists" as the most accurate description of the Qusra rioters, while 18% chose “nationalist criminals." Among Jewish Israelis, 27% chose “Israeli terrorists," compared with 55% of Arab Israelis.
The ideological divide was especially sharp. On the left, 63% described the rioters as “Israeli terrorists" and 31% as “nationalist criminals." In the center, 49% chose “Israeli terrorists" and 31% “nationalist criminals." On the right, only 3% chose “Israeli terrorists"; the most common descriptions were “a handful of rioters," at 22%, and “a violent minority," at 20%. Twelve percent of right-wing respondents chose “the salt of the earth."
The Index found that Israelis remain divided over whether the country has won the war that began on October 7. Forty percent rated their sense that Israel is winning or has won at 4 or 5 on a five-point scale, compared with 43% in September 2025, while 37% rated it at 1 or 2. The ideological divide was wide: 77% on the right gave a rating of 4 or 5, compared with 44% in the center-right, 16% in the center, 7% in the center-left, and none on the left.
Looking toward the 2026 elections, 40% of Israelis said they believe they will be “the most important elections in the country’s history," up from 33% in February, and another 41% called them “especially important." Security was the leading decisive issue, selected by 31% of Israelis, followed by relations between the government and the judiciary at 19% and unity at 17%.
When asked who is best suited to be the next prime minister, 36% of all Israelis selected Benjamin Netanyahu, 29% selected Gadi Eisenkot, 13% Naftali Bennett, and 4% Avigdor Liberman. Among Jewish Israelis, 43% selected Netanyahu.
The report also found a somewhat more optimistic assessment of Israel’s overall direction than a year ago. Thirty-five percent of all Israelis and 43% of Jewish Israelis said “Israel is improving, and things will get even better," compared with 30% and 36%, respectively, in September 2025. At the same time, 30% of all Israelis said Israel is deteriorating and that the trend will continue, down from 38% last year.
Assessments of the year just ended were most negative in the social sphere. Fifty-two percent described the past year as “poor" socially, compared with 37% who said it was poor in security terms and 30% who gave that assessment of the economy.
On antisemitism, 44% of Jewish Israelis said the rise in antisemitism worldwide was “not at all because of Israeli policy," up from 38% last year, while 28% said it was to a great extent because of Israeli policy. Fifty-seven percent of Jewish Israelis said Israel should not modify its policies at all because of the rise in antisemitism.
The share of Jewish Israelis defining an academic boycott of Israel as antisemitic, either alone or together with anti-Israel, rose from 68% to 74%. Fifty-eight percent gave the same classification to calls for punitive measures over the situation in Gaza, while 45% did so regarding barring Knesset members and ministers from entering countries and 41% regarding recognition of a Palestinian state.
The education system also received increasingly negative assessments. Thirty-five percent of all Israelis described it as “not good," compared with 28% in 2025, while 14% called it “good." Among Jewish Israelis, 37% said the education system is not good.
Asked which subject they would strengthen in schools, 29% of Jewish Israelis chose Jewish studies, and 21% chose civics. Jewish studies was also selected by 20% as a subject whose hours should be reduced, while 26% chose literature for reductions.