Poll: 79% of Israelis support Shalit deal

Yedioth Ahronoth-Dahaf Institute survey shows Israelis support prisoner swap despite heavy price, are happy and excited ahead of its implementation but fear its consequences. Women more supportive of deal than men

Yedioth Ahronoth|Published: 10.17.11 , 09:53

The vast majority of Israel's citizens are in favor of the deal securing the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 terrorists, a public opinion poll commissioned by Yedioth Ahronoth shows.

Asked whether they were in favor of Shalit's release in exchange for 1,027 terrorists, 79% of the respondents said yes and only 14% said no.

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The survey was conducted on October 16 by the Dahaf Institute, headed by Mina Tzemach, among 500 people constituting a representative sample of Israel's adult population. The maximum sampling error is 4.4%.

Among male respondents, 74% support the deal and 19% oppose it, while 86% of the women support it and only 5% are against it.

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Sixty-five percent of the respondents believe a similar deal could have been finalized in the past, while 20% said a deal with similar conditions could not have been reached earlier.

As for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct, 49% said he gave into public pressure while 43% believe he acted like a leader.

Asked about the deal's price, 53% said the Israeli government dropped some of its principles and 20% said Hamas conceded its principles more than Israel. Twenty percent said both sides gave up on some of their principles to a similar extent.

Respondents were then asked whether they fear for the security of Israel's citizens following the prisoner release. Fifty percent admitted that they were afraid, while 48% said they trusted Israel's security forces.

Finally, respondents were asked to describe their feelings towards the implementation of the Shalit deal. Forty-four percent said they were happy, 17% said they were excited, 15% said they felt proud, 14% were concerned, 5% felt humiliated and 3% were angry.