Survey: 52% of Israeli Oppose an Attack on Iran

At the Institute for National Security Studies’ annual conference, data was presented that indicates that the Israeli population is almost equally divided when it comes to an attack on Iran.

According to a new survey conducted by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), more than half of the Jewish population in Israel believes that Israel should avoid a military attack against Iran's  nuclear program.

According to the study that was presented at the institute’s annual conference in Tel Aviv, 52% of Jewish Israelis believe that an attack should be avoided, while 48% believe that a military attack against Iran's nuclear facilities is preferred.


The survey, presented by Major General (Res.) Yehuda Ben Meir, was conducted from a representative sample in which only 18% of respondents believe that if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, it would attack Israel in order to destroy it. Almost a third of respondents believe that the Iranian regime does indeed threaten Israel, but also believe Iran would refrain attacking Israel out of fear of retaliation. In addition, 62.5% of the Jewish public believes that Israel can successfully cope with the Iranian nuclear threat.

In an earlier speech at the conference, Defense Minister Ehud Barak referred to the Iranian nuclear issue by saying, "The Israeli government will make decisions on issues vital to the future and safety of the Jewish people on its own." Barak also addressed the differences in approaches between Israel and the US concerning a possible attack.