Poll: About 70% Fear Election Disruption – and How Many Oppose Involvement in Strike on Iran?

A new Israel Democracy Institute poll reveals that about 70% of Jews fear harm to the purity of elections, and about 37% of the public believe Israel should avoid military involvement in an American strike on Iran. It also shows that 72% assess that a Palestinian uprising will break out, and about 46% of Jews believe security forces are too lenient toward violent settlers.

The Israel Democracy Institute published today (Tuesday) a new poll as part of the 'Israeli Voice' Index for July 2026, conducted by the Viterbi Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research, led by Professor Tamar Hermann, Dr. Lior Yohanani, and Yaron Kaplan. The poll presents an up-to-date picture of public positions on political, security, and social issues. On the Iran front, the highest share (37%) believes Israel should avoid military involvement in an American strike on Iran and respond only if attacked directly. 20% support persuading the US to conduct a joint military operation, 18% favor joining the strike only if the US requests it, and 16% believe Israel should strike even without American consent. There is a clear gap between political camps: on the left, a majority (about 60%) support avoidance, while on the right, support for proactive actions stands out. On the territories issue, a large majority (72%) assess that there are high chances of a Palestinian popular uprising in Judea and Samaria, up from 59% in November 2025. Among Jews, about 80% assess this, compared to less than 40% among Arabs. Regarding the treatment of violent settlers, about 46% of Jews believe security forces are too lenient, while among Arabs, more than half think so. Ahead of the elections, 56% of the public prefer primaries as the method for determining lists, and 72% of Jews fear harm to the purity of elections, with gaps between camps: left 90.5%, center 76%, right 66%. The poll was conducted between 28/7 and 2/8/2026 among 600 people in Hebrew and 151 in Arabic, with a sampling error of ±3.58%.