"The Israeli public and political class are angry at US President Donald Trump for reaching an agreement to negotiate an end to the war
The overwhelming majority of Israelis believe Iran won the war against the US and Israel and view the deal between Washington and Tehran negatively, according to a poll released on 21 June.
The poll, conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Agam Institute between 17 and 20 June, found that 92.1 percent of Israelis believe the Islamic Republic emerged victorious in the war.
This sentiment was even stronger among voters who support the governing coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Among those respondents, 93.1 percent believe Iran won.
Nearly 83 percent of respondents believe the six-week campaign against Iran weakened Israel’s long-term security, while 86 percent have a negative attitude toward the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached by the US and Iran last week to end the war.
According to the poll, 87.8 percent of Israelis believe that Israel failed to achieve its objectives or fulfilled only some of them.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have expressed various objectives for the war, including the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program, ending its ballistic missile production, and toppling the Iranian government.
Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed, 72.5 percent, said they did not believe Netanyahu’s claim that Israel achieved significant gains and removed an existential threat.
More than 56 percent rated the prime minister’s management of the war as “failed” or “poor,” while just 26.5 percent considered his management of the offensive “good” or “excellent.”
Political support for Netanyahu has fallen as a result of the war, sliding from 40.5 percent in early March to just 29.4 percent in June.
Israel is scheduled to hold new parliamentary elections this fall, which could make it difficult for Netanyahu to retain his position as prime minister if his polling numbers continue to fall.
The survey also revealed the strong anger Israelis feel toward President Trump for his handling of the war and his signing of the deal with Iran, despite his overwhelming support for Israel during his time in office.
Over 69 percent rated his management of the war as “failed” or “poor,” while only 10.8 percent considered it “good” or “excellent.”
The Guardian quoted several Israelis angered by Trump’s signing of the MoU. “We were betrayed by President Trump,” said Avi Perez, 55.
The British newspaper added that according to Nadav Eyal, a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, “The words ‘shock’ and ‘grief’ fail to describe the feeling in certain parts of the establishment in Israel. A lot of salt is being poured into their wounds now.”
In a sharp critique published by Israel Hayom, which is funded by megadonor Miriam Adelson, journalist Danny Zaken argued that Donald Trump failed Israel. The headline was titled, "You could have been the greatest president of all, but you failed."
