Channel 12 Survey: Majority of Israelis See ‘Client State’ Relationship with US
A Channel 12 poll shows that most Israelis believe the United States controls Israel’s war decisions in Gaza, reflecting growing concern over sovereignty and widening internal divisions.
A new Channel 12 survey shows that two-thirds of Israelis believe the United States, not Israel, is directing military operations in Gaza, amid growing unease over sovereignty, conscription, and deepening political division.
According to the poll released Friday evening by the Israeli broadcaster, 67 percent of respondents said Washington is the main decision-maker shaping Israel’s policies and the occupation army’s actions in Gaza. Only 24 percent said Israel remains in control, while 9 percent were undecided.
When asked whether Israel has effectively become a “client state” of the United States, 69 percent agreed, including 23 percent who said they “strongly agree.” Only one in four respondents disagreed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied such claims, insisting that Israel is a “sovereign state” and describing relations with Washington as a “partnership,” not a dependency.
Israel’s dependence on the United States extends across nearly all strategic areas. Washington provides billions in annual military aid, advanced weapon systems, and continuous wartime resupply that sustain Israel’s military operations.
Extensive intelligence sharing and joint command structures give Washington a direct role in operational planning, while US diplomatic protection, especially through repeated UN vetoes, shields Israel from international censure.
Economically, deep integration with US industries and markets further anchors Israel within American strategic and technological systems, making US support indispensable.
Beyond questions of dependency, the Channel 12–Midgam Institute poll also revealed deep internal rifts over conscription and social equity.
A narrow majority, 51 percent, said they support revoking voting rights from Israelis who refuse to perform military or “national service,” including 32 percent who said they “strongly support” the idea. Meanwhile, 42 percent opposed it.
Among opposition voters, support for such a measure reached 68 percent, while nearly half of coalition voters, 49 percent, rejected it.
The survey also found that 40 percent of Israelis view Likud MK Boaz Bismuth’s proposed conscription bill as an effort to appease Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties and bring them back into the ruling coalition. Only 28 percent said they believe it genuinely seeks to integrate Haredi men into the occupation’s military.
On Thursday, around 200,000 Haredi men staged a mass protest at the entrance to occupied al-Quds against the conscription plan. The demonstration followed the arrest of more than 870 draft evaders, roughly seven percent of the nearly 7,000 registered as such in recent months.
A majority, 53 percent, of Israelis said they would not vote for any party supporting continued exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men. Among opposition voters, that figure rose to 81 percent.
The poll also found that 75 percent of Israelis oppose the possible appointment of Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister’s son, to a senior post within the World Zionist Organization. Sixty-one percent called the move “completely inappropriate,” including 58 percent of coalition voters.
Yair has been nominated for a key position within the WZO, a global body that oversees Zionist outreach, manages ties with Jewish communities abroad, and allocates funding for Israeli and settlement-linked projects.
If approved, the appointment would give him access to influential international networks and control over messaging directed at the Jewish diaspora. Many observers view the nomination as a political maneuver aimed at consolidating the Netanyahu family’s control over Zionist institutions ahead of future elections.
(PC, Al Mayadeen)