86.5% of Israelis Disagree with Ceasefire, Poll Finds

86.5% of Israelis oppose the ceasefire in the Gaza strip according to a poll sponsored by Roni Rimon, a former strategist of prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s party.

The poll was conducted by pollster Mina Tzemach and gave a representative sample of 504 Israeli adultss three options to describe how they felt about the recent halt of Israel’s assault on the Gaza strip, also known as Operation Protective Edge.

The first option expressed contentment with ceasing Protective Edge on the grounds that “Israel had enough achievements, soldiers have died, and it is time to stop”. 9.7% of the respondents agreed with this, while an additional 3.8% said they did not know.

The overwhelming majority was left with the option of disagreeing with the ceasefire on the grounds that “Hamas continues firing missiles on Israel, not all the tunnels have been found, and Hamas has not surrendered”. 86.5% found this third option best expressed their position.

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Rimon, the sponsor of the poll, said Netanyahu's decision to hold a ceasefire went against the majority of Israelis wishes and was the result of pressure from outside of Israel. 

“If he believes that the greater good of Israel requires a cease-fire because of relations with the United States and the international community, he will put ratings aside and do what he thinks is right,” Rimon said.

The survey also found that men were more likely to want Protective Edge to continue than women.

A previous poll of the same sample of Israelis asked how they would feel about Protective Edge, should the ceasefire come in force. 2.2% said they would consider it a “big success”, 22.6% a “good result”, and  47.6% said they would consider it a “so-so result”, the Jerusalem Post reported.

14.9% of the respondents said the ceasefire would be a “good result” for Hamas, while 8.7% said a “great success” for Hamas. 4% did not know.

Operation Protective Edge, which has already killed over 1,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, has received much less categorical support from outside Israel, with protests and calls for a boycott of Israeli goods across Europe.

Israel and Palestine agreed an end to hostilities for at least 24 hours on Sunday, during the Muslim festival of Eid-Al-Fitr. Israel has said it will only fire in response to attacks, adding that this ceasefire would last for an "unlimited" period.