Most Israelis believe Trump must not set the course of IDF actions - survey

Results emerge after a tense phone discussion in which Trump used strong language to press Netanyahu into stopping planned strikes on Hezbollah sites in Lebanon.

U.S. President Donald Trump points his finger towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they shake hands during a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 29, 2025.

(photo credit: JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS)

ByMOSHE COHEN

JUNE 5, 2026 08:46

Updated: JUNE 5, 2026 09:29

A recent survey shows that 62 percent of Israelis feel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should refuse to let US President Donald Trump shape the character of Israeli military moves, according to findings released by Maariv on Friday.

The figures indicate broad consensus across party lines, as 66 percent of coalition supporters and 62 percent of opposition backers agree that Netanyahu should reject Trump’s call to pause upcoming IDF operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

At the same time, 25 percent believe Netanyahu must yield to the American request, while 13 percent remain undecided.

The survey follows a heated phone exchange during which Trump delivered a profanity-filled rebuke to the Israeli leader and insisted that Israel cancel airstrikes aimed at Beirut.

Weekly Knesset mandates survey shows opposition gaining ground while Smotrich drops below threshold

Combined with debate over the state comptroller vote, these events caused the coalition to lose two seats in the latest survey, bringing its total to 50 mandates. The opposition rose to 60 seats, and Arab parties held steady at 10.

Within the opposition, the Together Party led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid climbed to 23 seats, while Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu gained one seat to reach 10. The Maariv poll notes that 16 of Together’s 23 seats come from Bennett 2026 supporters, five from Yesh Atid, and two from undecided voters.

The new joint list, which initially drew eight seats from the two parties, did not weaken the overall opposition because most departing voters shifted to other bloc parties such as Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar.

Full results show Likud at 25 mandates, Together at 23, Yashar at 17, The Democrats at 10, Yisrael Beytenu at 10, Otzma Yehudit at 9, Shas at 9, United Torah Judaism at 7, Hadash-Ta’al at 6, and Ra’am at 4.

Religious Zionist (2.6 percent), Blue and White (2.2 percent), Balad (1.8 percent), and The Reservists (1.7 percent) fall short of the 3.25 percent threshold.

The survey, conducted June 3-4 among 500 respondents, represents a cross-section of Israeli adults aged 18 and older, including Jews and Arabs. The maximum margin of error is 4.4 percent.