Throughout the six months that Israel has been fighting in Gaza, the public has overwhelmingly supported the war effort, with the vast majority of Israelis backing the goal to destroy Hamas and free the hostages still held in the enclave.
But there is no such consensus on how to respond to the threat from Iran, whose strike on Israel in the early hours of Sunday has revived fears that the hostilities that have engulfed the Middle East since Hamas’s October 7 attack could escalate into a regional conflict.
A poll carried out by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem this week found 52 per cent of Israelis thought the country should not respond to the drone-and-missile barrage — the first time the Islamic republic has targeted the Jewish state directly from its own soil — but instead close the current round of hostilities. The rest thought Israel should retaliate, even at the risk of extending the current round.
“Everyone is on board with the [Gaza war] goals. But we see a very different path here” with Iran, said Nimrod Zeldin, from Agam Labs at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which conducted the study.
“Iran is more complicated.”
The Islamic regime launched its barrage in retaliation for the suspected Israeli strike this month at its consulate in Syria, which killed several senior members of the elite Revolutionary Guard.
The split in the Israeli public has been mirrored by the tortuous debate within the country’s five-person war cabinet led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Some anal…
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In a situation where there is no clear right answer, how should leaders balance the risk of escalation with the demand for action?
@9LM7XC32wks2W
Να στάματησει το Ισραήλ να βομβαρδίζει όποιον θέλει στην περιοχή ώστε να μην δέχεται επιθέσεις τέλος στην κατοχή του παλαιστινιακού λαού.
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W
Do you believe responding with force to an attack is always justified, or are there cases where restraint is more valuable?
@9LM7XC32wks2W
Όχι πρέπει να μην ανταποδώσει διότι εκείνοι το άρχισαν με το να βομβαρδισουν την πρεσβεία του Ιραν
@ISIDEWITH2wks2W