Standing next to the blown-out windows and cracked walls of her apartment in Tel Aviv, Liat Zvi voices an exasperation many Israelis say they feel. It's depressing… we've been in war for two and a half years and this just feels like another round, she sighs. Six weeks ago, her central neighbourhood was among the many locations where Tehran delivered its response to US-Israeli attacks. An Iranian missile evaded Israel's multi-tiered air defense and smashed into a residential building, killing 32-year-old carer Mary Anne Velasquez de Vera from the Philippines. This was the first fatality in Israel during the war with Iran – a conflict that's currently on a precarious pause.
Now, like many of her fellow Israelis, Zvi is asking herself what this conflict actually achieved for her country and is finding it hard to contemplate what happens next. It's too much for me to look ahead - it's really hard.
New polling by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem points to a war-weariness among Israelis. But it also suggests two-thirds oppose the current tentative truce between Washington and Tehran. The vast majority surveyed said they believed neither Iran nor Hezbollah in Lebanon had been severely weakened by the recent US and Israeli bombardment.
Despair was the word a third of respondents chose when asked to describe their current emotion, followed by confusion and anger. Hope was fourth. Removing Iran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon, destroying its ballistic missile capability, and securing regime change were three aims Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited at the start of the campaign. He has since spoken of huge achievements and insisted Israel continues to change the face of the Middle East. But his opponents say he's failed to realize any of his war goals.
Despite deep skepticism of the success of the military action, polling suggests the public is divided on whether Israel should continue to strike Iran. Some 39.5% said attacks on Tehran must continue and 41.4% said the ceasefire should be respected. On the specific question of the ceasefire, less than a fifth of Arab respondents said Israel should resume striking Iran. Polling throughout the war with Iran has reflected a split between Israel's Jewish majority and Arab minority. In a poll published at the start of the conflict by the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), a majority of the Arab public (61%) said they wanted a ceasefire as soon as possible. Another survey published mid-March by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) showed 93% of Jews supporting the war on Iran compared to 26% of Arabs.
Liat Zvi adds, If we're not going to break sponsoring Iran's proxies [armed groups backed by Iran] around here then it's [the ceasefire] not worth anything. This sentiment echoes across the populace, as many demand a stronger stance in negotiations with Tehran.
The complexities of the current political landscape reflect not just the impacts of the ongoing violence but also the societal strains that come with it, as elections loom and public sentiment continues to evolve amid the backdrop of conflict.}
Now, like many of her fellow Israelis, Zvi is asking herself what this conflict actually achieved for her country and is finding it hard to contemplate what happens next. It's too much for me to look ahead - it's really hard.
New polling by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem points to a war-weariness among Israelis. But it also suggests two-thirds oppose the current tentative truce between Washington and Tehran. The vast majority surveyed said they believed neither Iran nor Hezbollah in Lebanon had been severely weakened by the recent US and Israeli bombardment.
Despair was the word a third of respondents chose when asked to describe their current emotion, followed by confusion and anger. Hope was fourth. Removing Iran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon, destroying its ballistic missile capability, and securing regime change were three aims Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited at the start of the campaign. He has since spoken of huge achievements and insisted Israel continues to change the face of the Middle East. But his opponents say he's failed to realize any of his war goals.
Despite deep skepticism of the success of the military action, polling suggests the public is divided on whether Israel should continue to strike Iran. Some 39.5% said attacks on Tehran must continue and 41.4% said the ceasefire should be respected. On the specific question of the ceasefire, less than a fifth of Arab respondents said Israel should resume striking Iran. Polling throughout the war with Iran has reflected a split between Israel's Jewish majority and Arab minority. In a poll published at the start of the conflict by the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), a majority of the Arab public (61%) said they wanted a ceasefire as soon as possible. Another survey published mid-March by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) showed 93% of Jews supporting the war on Iran compared to 26% of Arabs.
Liat Zvi adds, If we're not going to break sponsoring Iran's proxies [armed groups backed by Iran] around here then it's [the ceasefire] not worth anything. This sentiment echoes across the populace, as many demand a stronger stance in negotiations with Tehran.
The complexities of the current political landscape reflect not just the impacts of the ongoing violence but also the societal strains that come with it, as elections loom and public sentiment continues to evolve amid the backdrop of conflict.}
