Tel Aviv’s mass killing campaign in Gaza has the support of nearly two-thirds of Israelis, who believe there are no innocent people in the Strip. The Israeli military has killed or injured more than 50,000 Palestinian children during the onslaught.
According to Haaretz, a recent poll conducted by the aChord Center at Hebrew University in Jerusalem found that 64% of Israeli adults agreed with the statement “there are no innocent people in Gaza.”
The survey found a wide gap in opinion between Arab citizens of the Jewish state and those who back the governing coalition. Nine in 10 supporters of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government agreed with the ‘no innocents’ statement, while 92% of Israeli Arabs disagreed.
Of the Israelis who do not support Netanyahu, seven in 10 who favor the right-wing opposition agreed with that statement, while two-thirds of voters who want a more centrist government said they agreed. Only 30% of those who support the left-wing opposition said the same.
Tel Aviv has often asserted that its military operations in Gaza target Hamas militants and take all reasonable precautions to avoid civilian harm. However, tens of thousands of children have been killed or injured in the attacks. Last month, the UN agency for children (UNICEF) reported that the number of child casualties in Gaza had crossed 50,000.
The survey results are unsurprising, as 80% of Jewish Israelis said earlier this year that they supported Donald Trump’s proposal to “clean out” Gaza. The original Trump plan – before it was partially walked back by officials – explicitly endorsed ethnic cleansing, as it called for the permanent expulsion of Palestinians, who would be deprived of the right to return to their homeland.
Additionally, the aChord Center poll found that 64% of Israelis believe there is no need for local media to report the war with more nuance, or present a “broader picture regarding the situation of Gaza’s civilians.” Respondents were also highly critical of Western media for an alleged pro-Palestinian bias, including the BBC, CNN and even Fox News.
