A Channel 12 poll published on Friday, December 27, and held ahead of the far-right government’s two-year anniversary on Sunday finds that 68 percent of the public disapprove of its performance, as opposed to just 26% who approve and six percent who say they didn’t know. Sixty-one percent say Netanyahu is doing a bad job, 34% think he is doing a good job, and 5% didn’t know. Even among those who voted for coalition parties in the previous election, only 53% say they approved of the government’s performance, compared to 37% who disapproved.
Protest against far-right prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the current government in Tel Aviv, December 7, 2024 (Photo: Avshalom Sassoni / Flash90)
Among the public, the unfavorable of Netanyahu and every government minister were higher than their respective favorable. The minister with the highest disapproval rating is Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, whose Religious Zionism party has struggled to cross the electoral threshold in recent surveys. In the Channel 12 poll, 70% of respondents describe Smotrich’s job performance as “bad,” 20% as “good” and 10% say they don’t know.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev scores 68% “bad” and 19% “good” with 13% saying they don’t know; National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir — 64% “bad” and 28% “good,” with 8% saying they don’t know; Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf — 62% “bad” and 15% “good,” with 23% saying they don’t know; Justice Minister Yariv Levin — 61% “bad” and 25% “good,” with 14% saying they don’t know; Education Minister Yoav Kisch — 59% “bad” and 20% “good,” with 21% saying they don’t know; Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem — 58% “bad” and 17% “good,” with 25% saying they don’t know; Economy Minister Nir Barkat — 58% “bad” and 23% “good,” with 19% saying they don’t know; Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi — 56% “bad” and 22% “good,” with 22% saying they don’t know; and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar — 55% “bad” and 22% “good,” with 23% saying they don’t know.
In addition, according to this week’s Maariv poll if new Knesset elections were held today the opposition earned 72 seats, including six for Hadash-Ta’al. Survey respondents were asked for whom they would vote said Netanyahu’s Likud and the rest of the ruling coalition far-right parties emerged with a combined 48 seats, one fewer than last week. The coalition has 64 seats and therefore needs at least 13 more seats to form a government.
According to Maariv, Netanyahu’s Likud emerged with 23 seats (lost one third of its current 32 seats), National Unity, 20 (currently 8), Yesh Atid, 16 (currently 24), Yisrael Beiteinu, 15 (currently 6), The Democrats (Labor + Meretz), 11 (currently 4), Shas, 10 (currently 10), Otzma Yehudit, 8 (currently 6), United Torah Judaism, 7 (currently 7), Hadash-Ta’al, 6 (currently 5), and Ra’am 4 (currently 5). The racist Religious Zionist Party led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich remained below the electoral threshold of 3.25%, scoring only 1.6%.
