Poll: Jewish Israelis want Oct. 7 commission of inquiry, ultra-Orthodox conscription

A clear majority of Jewish Israelis want a state commission of inquiry into the failings surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of the country, as well as legislation to conscript the ultra-Orthodox community into the army, according to a poll published Wednesday.

In its September 2026 Israeli Voice Index, the Israel Democracy Institute found that 71 percent support the next government setting up a top-tier panel to probe the events surrounding Oct. 7, while 72% want a bill to equally draft members of the Haredi community.

So far, the incumbent government has steadfastly refused to take either course of action. Israel is scheduled to hold an election on October 27.

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Promoted: JPPI, Bret Stephens 

Among Arab Israelis, 52% said they want a commission of inquiry. No figure was given for their views on an egalitarian conscription law. Like the Haredim, the Arab population does not have compulsory national service as do most Jewish Israelis.

In a related issue, the poll sampled opinions on a recent spate of media reports suggesting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned by Arab states that Hamas was planning some form of attack, but that he did not pass on the information or take action.

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Nearly half (46%) of Israelis think the reports are not credible, while s slightly smaller percentage (43%) said they are, and the remainder did not know.

In addition, almost two-thirds (63%) felt the timing of the reports, published so close to the coming election, is an attempt to influence the results, while 27% believe the reports were only released now because that was when the information became available.

Among Jewish Israelis, 85% of those who identify as left wing said the reports are credible, as did 72% of those in the center, but just 28% who identified as being on the right.

On Thursday, reports appeared to dispel one such case in which Netanyahu was alleged to have been warned by the head of Egyptian intelligence about the Hamas attack days in advance.

Regarding international relations, the poll found that most Israelis see only the US (87%) and Germany (55%) as friendly to Israel.

Next highest was the United Arab Emirates, with nearly half (49%) seeing it as friendly, 28% saying it is neither hostile nor friendly, and 19% feeling it is hostile, while  4% said they don’t know.

The UK has slid in public opinion, with 56% saying they feel it is hostile, 21% neither friendly nor hostile, and 19.5% friendly.

Israelis had a better opinion of Saudi Arabia, with just 41% seeing it as hostile, 34% saying it is neither hostile nor friendly, and 20% saying it is friendly.

Nearly as many respondents saw France (68%) as hostile as Qatar (69%).

Amid sanctions imposed by some countries, including the UK, on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, 63% of respondents said Israel should respond harshly to such actions and insist that the settlement products be treated like those manufactured anywhere in Israel.

However, 21% said Israel should recognize the right of other countries to restrict imports from settlements.

The IDI also surveyed opinions on action against attacks by extremist settler groups on Palestinians in the West Bank, which critics accuse the government of not doing enough about. It found that the majority of Jews (58.5%) and most Arabs (53%) support determined action against the perpetrators.

Respondents were also queried about their views on the possibility of negotiations with the Palestinians. While just 25% of Jews said they back such a move, 58% of Arab Israelis were in favor.

Overall, the IDF found that optimism about the country’s democratic future had increased to 45.5%, up 9.5 percentage points since the previous month’s survey.

This Israeli Voice Index was prepared by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the IDI. It sampled 602 adults in Hebrew and 149 in Arabic via telephone and the internet between October 5-8. The maximum sampling error was given as ±3.58 %.

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