Poll: Majority of Israelis fear massacre in Judea and Samaria

A new survey conducted by the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs (JCFA) reveals a concerning statistic: the majority of Israeli public (62%) fears an attack similar to the October 7th massacre from the Palestinians of Judea and Samaria.

The fear is especially high among the Jewish public, with 68% expressing concern, compared to only 25% of Arab respondents. The findings also indicate that a majority of the Arab public in Israel (56%) opposes the Palestinian Authority being part of the future arrangement in Gaza.

The survey was conducted among a representative sample of over 700 Jewish and Arab participants aged 18-65. It was conducted after President Trump announced his plan for Gaza.

The new findings highlight that the Israeli public is very clear about its expectations from the Israeli leadership on “the day after.” Using an online respondent panel, participants were asked about their views regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state, Trump’s plan for migration from Gaza, normalization with Saudi Arabia, the possibility of Israel bombing Iran’s nuclear program, and even the fear of a future war with Egypt in light of recent publications.

The survey results indicate that 67% of Israelis oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state along the ’67 borders following the events of October 7. While among Jewish respondents, opposition is higher (75%), 42% of Arab respondents support the establishment of a Palestinian state unconditionally (an increase of 10% from the previous survey).

The opposition to establishing a Palestinian state persists even if the reward is normalization with Saudi Arabia – an opposition consistently above 60%.

Regarding the possibility that Hamas will remain in Gaza as a civilian entity, an overwhelming majority of survey participants (82%) oppose such a scenario: nearly all Jewish public (90%), compared to 33% of Arabs in Israel opposing. Even stronger opposition (88%) was found among Israelis to the idea that at the end of the war Hamas would remain as a ruling military entity: 94% of Jewish respondents opposed, compared to lower opposition among Arab respondents (46%).

According to the data, 60% of Israelis also oppose incorporating the Palestinian Authority into the future arrangement in Gaza, with Jewish opposition particularly high (66%). On the other hand, the Arab public is divided in its views – 44% support Palestinian Authority involvement, 25% oppose it, and 31% expressed no opinion on the matter.

When asked about their views on Trump’s plan for the Gaza Strip, an overwhelming majority of Israelis (75%) supported the idea of willing emigration, while most Arab respondents (58%) opposed it.

The survey further reveals that 71% of Israelis support establishing buffer zones along the borders with Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza in the long term, out of the belief that physical separation will help prevent future attacks. Furthermore, 61% of respondents support an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear program, with 38% of them believing it should be coordinated with the U.S., and 23% even supporting unilateral action without coordination.

In light of recent publications suggesting the possibility of a war developing with Egypt, most Israelis (55%) are not worried about it in the foreseeable future – with no difference between Jewish and Arab respondents in Israel. However, 33% of Israelis still believe a war with Egypt is a possible scenario and express concern, compared to 12% who expressed no opinion on the matter.