Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have declared last night that the cease-fire with Hamas was Israel's best option, but a decisive majority of the Israeli public disagrees. A survey carried out a few hours before the announcement of the cease-fire understandings in Cairo finds 70% of Israelis opposed to halting the military operation in the Gaza Strip.
The survey, conducted by Shiluv Millward Brown, was reported by Channel 2. It comprised three questions.
The first was: Should Israel now agree to a cease-fire? 70% of respondents replied "No", 24% "Yes", and 6% "Don't know".
The second question was: Will the cease-fire agreement hold, and for how long? The results indicate wholesale lack of faith on the part of the Israeli public in the success of the agreement. 64% responded that it would hold for only a short time; 24% said it would not take hold at all; 7% said the agreement with Hamas would last for a long time; and 5% responded "Don't know".
The third and last question was: Has Israel's deterrent capability improved or deteriorated as a result of Operation Pillar of Cloud? 58% responded that it had improved; 15% believe it has deteriorated; 23% responded that there had been no change; and 4% said they had no opinion.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 22, 2012
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