Israel finally freeing itself from dictates of the religious parties

60% of Israel’s adult Jewish public wants national unity government

60% of Israel’s adult Jewish public supports Avigdor Lieberman's intention to establish a broad national unity government without the ultra-Orthodox parties, including 94% of blue and white voters. 53% of Israel's adult Jewish public may decide who to vote for on the basis of the party’s commitment to promote religious freedom and equality of the burden.

10/07/2019 20:16

Tags: Hiddush polls ·  Avigdor Lieberman ·  Unity Government

60% of the adult Jewish public supports Avigdor Lieberman's insistence on a unity government without the ultra-Orthodox parties. This finding emerges from a survey conducted by the Smith Polling Institute for Hiddush for Religious Freedom and Equality. This support is shared by 94% of Blue and White voters, 85% of Labor voters, 95% of Yisrael Beiteinu voters, 75% of all our voters, 79% of Meretz voters, and about half (48%) of Likud voters.

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The survey also shows that 53% of the Israeli public may decide who to vote for on the basis of the party's commitment to promote freedom of religion and equality of the burden. Only 14% thought it would reduce the likelihood that they would vote for such a party, and 33% said it would not affect their vote.

This is the sixth Hiddush election survey conducted in recent months, in which it turns out that matters of religion & state have significant bearing upon the voters’ decisions in terms of which party to support, as well as that a large majority of the Israeli public want a broad unity government that will promote the full realization of the Declaration of Independence’s promise of freedom of religion and equality.

Israel is finally moving towards the establishment of a broad civil coalition, which is a condition for the realization of the basic values ​​of freedom of religion and equality of the civic burden, as well as freedom from the dictates of the religious parties. A large majority of the Israeli public wants this and will reward those parties that commit to it. Avigdor Lieberman internalized this after the April elections, and one may hope that the other civil parties will come to understand that the time has come to change direction, to listen to be and loyal to their constituents, to fully realize the promise of the Declaration of Independence for freedom of religion and equality, and to cease and desist from trading away individual freedoms and human dignity in exchange for the votes of ultra-Orthodox politicians. Israel wants and needs a broad civil government.

Additional Information

The survey shows that the Yisrael Beiteinu party’s increasing support in various election surveys is based upon the public's desire for parties that commit themselves to the principles of freedom of religion and equality of the burden and to promoting them in the Knesset and the government, as well as its desire for a broad civil coalition, instead of a government dependent upon the votes of the ultra-Orthodox parties, which submits to their dictates.

In response to the question: "If an existing party, which matches your political outlook on security and economic issues, declares that it is committed to the principles of freedom of religion and equality of the civic burden, and acts to advance these in the Knesset and in the government (if it participates in the government coalition), would this increase or decrease the likelihood that you would vote for it in the next elections?" For the third time, the majority of Israel’s adult Jewish public expressed its opinion that this would increase the likelihood that it would vote for such a party [53% in the current survey, 52% in January, 57% in the 2018 Israel Religion and State Index].

In response to the question that explored the public's attitude to Lieberman's new, dramatic position ["Avigdor Lieberman declared that he would support only the establishment of a broad national unity government, based on the Likud and Blue-&-White parties, without the ultra-Orthodox parties and without surrendering to their religious demands. Do you support or oppose this approach for the establishment of the next coalition?"] it turns out that this is supported by an unequivocal majority of the adult Jewish public: 60% support it, compared to only 40% who oppose it.

A large, growing majority of those who expressed their opinions supports the formation of a broad civil government after the elections, based upon a partnership between the Likud and Blue-&-White parties, which does not depend upon the ultra-Orthodox parties’ support.

These figures should be seen against the background of a consistent previous finding that has arisen in Hiddush surveys, according to which a large, growing majority of those who expressed their opinions supports the formation of a broad civil government after the elections, based upon a partnership between the Likud and Blue-&-White parties, which does not depend upon the ultra-Orthodox parties’ support and which promotes freedom of religion and equality of the civic burden [74% in the June survey, 66% In April - after the elections, 65% in March].

The main support for Lieberman's dramatic move can be found, not surprisingly, among the secular and traditional-not-so-religious populations [83% and 74%, respectively]. The distribution among the political camps: Among the center [83%], center-left and center-right [73% and 80%, respectively]. Support for Lieberman's campaign exists among 94% of Blue-&-White voters, 85% of Labor voters, and even a majority among Meretz voters and those who plan to vote for Barak's party. Forty-eight percent of those who voted for the Likud support it!

In light of the statements made by several Blue-&-White leaders and the new chairman of the Labor Party, as well as Ehud Barak's ambiguous remarks on freedom of religion and conscience, particularly important are the findings regarding the distribution of respondents who responded that they would be more likely to vote for a party that conforms to their worldview on security and economic matters if it commits itself to promoting freedom of religion and equality in the Knesset and government. A consistent majority of the adult Jewish public attributed a significant weight to this, according to surveys conducted for months, but only Avigdor Lieberman has drawn the conclusions that emerge from these clear conclusions and has already begun to reap its political fruit. Hiddush's April survey indicated that Blue-&-White would have enjoyed increased support in the April elections among those who did not vote for it, if it had taken a firm stand and committed itself to freedom of religion and equality.

The current survey shows that in relation to the civil parties, and even Bennett’s New Right party, most of its potential voters note that a commitment to promote freedom of religion and equality of civic burden will increase the likelihood that they will vote for a party that conforms to their worldview, compared with those who responded that this would reduce the likelihood. Among those considering voting Blue-&-White: 81% vs. 4%! Among those considering voting Labor Party: 73% versus 4%. Democratic Israel: 62% versus 19%. The New Right: 53% vs. 18%. [It must be taken into account that aside from the Likud and Blue-&-White, the data relating to the other parties are based upon relatively small sample sizes, due to the small numbers of their voters in the representative sample]

The survey was conducted by telephone between July 7-8, 2019 among a representative sample of 500 people among the adult Jewish population of Israel (ages 18 and over). Sampling error - ±4.5%.