JERUSALEM (JTA) — Less than 4 percent of Israeli Jews believe that the Israel Defense Forces has used excessive firepower in Gaza, an Israeli survey found.
The survey by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University, part of its monthly Peace Index Poll, was carried out over three days during Israel’s current Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. The surveys were conducted on July 14, when 246 Jewish adults were surveyed; July 16-17, with 185 Jewish adults surveyed, and July 23, with 216 Jewish adults surveyed.
An average of 95 percent of Israeli Jews surveyed defined the current Gaza operation as justified, according to the survey
The poll found 3 percent to 4 percent of Israeli Jews believe the IDF used excessive firepower, with up to 60 percent believing on July 23 that an appropriate level has been used.
Israeli Jews rated the government’s performance during the operation at 8.0, 6.3, and 8.0 over the course of the three surveys, with 10 being the highest rating.
The behavior of the Jewish public was rated as 8.9, 8.2, and 8.7 over the three surveys, and the behavior of the Arab public was rated by the Israeli Jewish respondents at of 4.0, 3.4, and 3.4 over the three surveys.
The Israeli Jews surveyed disagreed with the proposal for an immediate cease-fire in order to discuss the conditions for maintaining the quiet, at 63 percent, 64 percent, and 69 percent. However, Israeli Jews supported agreeing to a cease-fire only after an agreement on the conditions for sustaining quiet is reached, at 64 percent, 60 percent, and 56 percent.
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