The recent Israeli military escalation in Syria and the Gaza Strip has led to a dramatic rise in the popularity of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, according to a poll published in Tel Aviv on Friday.
According to a special survey by the Smith Institute for Research published in Ma’ariv, 58 percent of the public are very satisfied or quite satisfied with the performance of Netanyahu and Lieberman, compared with 42 percent who are not satisfied or not very satisfied with their performance. This marks a seven percent increase in satisfaction compared with previous surveys.
The results of the polls seem to be in the interest of Lieberman after many had questioned his ability to run the security apparatus without any military or security experience.
The survey showed that 22 percent consider him the most suitable candidate for the position of defense minister.
Lieberman surpassed every single potential claimant to his current job, with former chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi getting 21 percent; former chief of staff and defense minister Moshe Ya’alon 17 percent; Naftali Bennett 11 percent; and former chief of staff, defense minister and prime minister Ehud Barak receiving only seven percent.
The Israelis' satisfaction with Lieberman and Netanyahu also appeared in the poll when people were asked to which party they would vote as Likud jumped to 34 seats, compared to 30 in the current Knesset.
The second largest party in the survey was Yesh Atid, headed by MK Yair Lapid, with 17 seats, compared to 11 in the current Knesset. However, this is a sharp drop for Lapid, for whom earlier polls have predicted as much as 27 seats.
Yisrael Beiteinu, headed by Lieberman, soared from five seats in the current Knesset to eight seats, pulling it away from the abyss waiting for political parties who fail to cross the 3.75 percent threshold.
A new independent party, headed by MK Orly Levy-Abekasis, a deserter from Lieberman’s party, received five seats – despite the fact that it doesn’t yet exist.
These results mean that in case new elections are held, Netanyahu and his current coalition will return to power stronger by three additional seats, having 70 seats out of a total of 120.
