Shishi Cabinet poll: 88% do not see Eisenkot as a right-winger, trust gap with Ra'am

An i24NEWS poll reveals that 88% of the public do not define Gadi Eisenkot as a right-winger, including a majority among opposition voters. Meanwhile, 48% of respondents trust Arab local council heads more than Eisenkot regarding the claim that he said Ra'am would be in the government. The poll also examined the greatest reputational damage to Israel.

An i24NEWS poll conducted by the Direct Polls Institute headed by Tzuriel Sharon on September 17, 2026, 40 days before the elections, examined the controversy surrounding Gadi Eisenkot's meeting with Arab local council heads. According to them, Eisenkot said that Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas would be part of the government – a claim Eisenkot denied. The poll found a significant trust gap: 48% of respondents believe the council heads, compared to 34% who believe Eisenkot. Additionally, 88% of the public do not define Eisenkot as a right-winger, a figure that holds even among opposition voters (86%). The poll also ranked events that caused reputational damage to Israel: the film "Naz'a" (27%), the Military Advocate General affair (26%), the Gaza hunger campaign (24%), and a statement by Yair Golan (11%). There are gaps between the coalition and opposition blocs in the damage rankings. The sample included 525 adult respondents, with a sampling error of ±4.2%.